Know your rights: ICE is in the Bay Area!

October 28, 2025

ICE agents established operations at Coast Guard Island in Oakland on October 23, 2025, despite claims from San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie and Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee that federal operations were called off for the Bay Area. Civil rights attorney Allyssa Victory explains that residents have constitutional protections when encountering ICE, including the right to refuse entry without a valid warrant, remain silent, and consult an attorney. Victory emphasizes that recent ICE raids in cities like Chicago and DC have targeted Black communities indiscriminately, affecting U.S. citizens who were detained, restrained, and had their homes searched regardless of immigration status.

Who is affected

Bay Area residents, particularly in Oakland, San Francisco, and Daly City
Immigrants and non-immigrants in the Bay Area
Black communities, including Black immigrants from Haiti
U.S. citizens in majority Black neighborhoods in Washington DC and Chicago
Property owners and tenants whose homes were searched during raids
Black elders and children who were detained during federal operations

What action is being taken

ICE agents are operating from Coast Guard Island in Oakland
ICE agents are conducting kidnappings/detentions in Daly City
Federal agents are conducting immigration raids in majority Black neighborhoods in DC and Chicago
Federal agents are detaining people (including U.S. citizens), zip-tying them, placing them in U-Haul trucks, and ransacking homes
The Alameda County Immigrant Legal and Education Partnership (ACILEP) is providing immigration legal assistance through their hotline (510-241-4011, weekdays 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.)

Why it matters

This situation represents a significant expansion of federal immigration enforcement that affects not only undocumented immigrants but also U.S. citizens, particularly in Black communities. The raids demonstrate a pattern of aggressive enforcement that disregards the distinction between immigrants and citizens, resulting in constitutional violations including unlawful detentions, property damage, and civil rights infringements. The operations undermine local and state laws that prohibit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, and they create an atmosphere of fear and instability in affected communities. The indiscriminate nature of these enforcement actions—where citizens are detained and homes are ransacked—reveals how immigration enforcement is being used as a tool for broader policing that disproportionately impacts Black communities.

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: San Francisco Bay View National Black Newspaper