Local
SoMa man detained by federal immigration agents after gunpoint confrontation
Federal agents detained a man near Sixth and Harrison streets Monday morning after he said he was a U.S. citizen and did not know who was pursuing him. A community response network said he had been identified and was receiving legal help; his citizenship and the reason for the detention were not independently established in the available information.
A man was detained by federal immigration agents in San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood Monday morning after a plainclothes agent pursued him with a handgun, according to security camera footage reported by KTVU-TV.
The encounter happened around 8:45 a.m. near Sixth and Harrison streets. In the footage, the man tells the agents, “I’m a U.S. citizen.” Asked why he was running, he replies, “Because I don’t know who you guys are.” The video shows masked agents in tactical gear joining the plainclothes agent, surrounding the man and forcing him to the ground before taking him away in handcuffs.
The San Francisco Rapid Response Network confirmed that one person was detained in SoMa on Monday and said the man had been identified and was receiving legal assistance through the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office. The network also reported additional Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in the Excelsior neighborhood. The man’s citizenship and the reason for his detention were not independently established in the available information.
Mayor Daniel Lurie said his office was working with the response network. “San Francisco law enforcement does not participate in federal civil immigration enforcement, and our city stands with our immigrant communities,” he wrote on Instagram.
The detention followed two ICE arrests in the East Bay on Friday. The Alameda County Immigration Legal and Education Partnership said one person arrested in Emeryville was taken to Highland Hospital, while another detained near Oakland’s San Antonio Park was transported to a different hospital. The organization said it was providing legal assistance and accused federal agents of using excessive force. “These arrests were brutal and put community members at risk. Someone could have been killed,” said Lourdes Martinez, the group’s co-director and a co-director of Centro Legal de la Raza.
The Bay Area arrests came amid reports of stepped-up federal immigration enforcement in California. The Washington Examiner reported Oct. 7, citing people familiar with the plans, that ICE had begun a statewide operation expected to last at least 45 days. It remains unclear whether the San Francisco and East Bay arrests are connected to that operation.
Gov. Gavin Newsom condemned the statewide operation earlier this month and said his administration would hold federal agents accountable. The incidents have heightened concern among immigrant communities and local advocates about the use of force and access to legal assistance during federal enforcement actions.