ICE Has Detained at Least 8 People in Alameda County Since Oct. 16, Advocates Say, After a Union City Arrest

Immigration agents have detained at least eight people in Alameda County since Oct. 16, Bay City News reported Thursday, citing the Alameda County Immigration Legal Education Partnership (ACILEP). The group counts one detention in Emeryville on Oct. 16, one in Oakland on Oct. 17, five in Hayward from Monday through Wednesday, and one in Union City on Wednesday. Two of the people detained were hospitalized.

On Oct. 16, at least six plainclothes agents with visible weapons were seen near Adeline and 45th streets in Emeryville, according to the report.

What advocates and county leaders say

ACILEP co-director Angel Ibarra-Nuez told Bay City News that several of the arrests look like "collateral arrests" and that more are happening out in the community. He said that until now, "most arrests are at check-ins."

Alameda County Supervisor Elisa Marquez said she was "horrified" and that the arrests are "starting to feel like a pattern." She said she worries the timing is meant to stoke fear before the Nov. 3 election. She also said local law enforcement was not notified.

According to the report, some detainees say they were asked whether they had voted illegally. Separately, the Justice Department has arrested 28 green-card holders statewide on alleged election crimes, six of them from the Bay Area.

The six men ICE has named

KRON4 reported Tuesday that ICE confirmed the identities of six men arrested in the Bay Area between Oct. 16 and Oct. 27. ICE described them as undocumented immigrants from Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador and said five have criminal histories. Two were arrested in San Francisco, one in San Jose, one in Emeryville on Oct. 16, one in Oakland on Oct. 17, and one in San Francisco's South of Market on Oct. 19. ICE said the Emeryville man tried to assault officers and was taken to Highland Hospital in Oakland for injuries. KRON4 noted that the total number of ICE arrests in the Bay Area is still unknown.

Getting help

Bay City News reported that Alameda County offers consultations through its Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs. Earlier coverage: the Hayward arrests and the Oakland and Emeryville arrests.