Federal immigration officers clashed with protesters in downtown San Francisco on Wednesday after an arrest at an immigration court escalated into a street confrontation. At least one demonstrator was detained, while both a protester and a journalist were pepper-sprayed. The confrontation highlighted mounting tensions over ICE arrests at court hearings and sparked fresh criticism of federal enforcement tactics.
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Arrest Sparks Confrontation
The incident began outside the immigration courthouse on Montgomery Street, where officers arrested a man inside before leading him to a waiting van. As they moved him out, protesters shouted at agents, with one yelling, “Why are you disappearing our community?” The crowd followed the officers on foot as they transported the man to ICE’s field office on Sansome Street, setting the stage for the clash.
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Protest Escalates to Field Office
Outside the ICE field office, tensions grew. Roughly a dozen protesters who marched from the courthouse gathered at the site. One protester was tackled, zip-tied, and taken inside the building. Minutes earlier, an officer had used pepper spray on both a demonstrator and a reporter documenting the scene.
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Journalist Pepper-Sprayed
Gazetteer reporter Eddie Kim said he was hit directly in the eyes with pepper spray while recording an altercation between an officer and a protester. Kim recalled a man calmly walking a bicycle alongside the group when an officer suddenly grabbed the handle. “It wasn’t provoked,” Kim said. “There were no aggressive movements other than me approaching the scene.”
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Rising Pattern of Clashes
Confrontations between ICE officers and protesters have become more common outside San Francisco’s immigration court and field office. Federal agents have increasingly detained asylum seekers during mandatory hearings and check-ins, a practice that advocacy groups say is new and alarming. In recent weeks, officers have also detained multiple protesters, including two pinned to the ground and handcuffed just days before this week’s clash.
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Protesters Attempt Roadblocks
During Wednesday’s standoff, protesters tried to block the path of ICE vans by filling crosswalks, standing in front of cars, and even puncturing a van tire. One officer shouted that a protester had a knife and briefly reached for his firearm, though he did not draw it. At another point, an officer fired a weapon that released white powder into a protester’s leg as groups struggled over a bicycle.
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Dispersal and Aftermath
Following the arrest outside the Sansome Street office, many protesters dispersed, while others remained at the courthouse midmorning. Despite the heavy response, activists said their presence still mattered. “It’s also very clear that when people mobilize, it affects ICE in a major way,” Kim said. “They’re clearly affected by the presence of protesters to the point where they’re willing to deploy force against people who are not even an active threat.”