Dozens of activists staged a "die-in" Sunday at Oakland's Eastmont Mall, demanding that federal immigration agents stop using the mall's Parking Lot C, ABC7 News reported.
Gabriela Galicia of the Street Level Health Project told ABC7 that observers have documented ICE using the lot since December 2025, including what they describe as the transfer of a detained person in June 2026. The lot sits beside a county health clinic, which organizers say makes patients afraid to seek care.
What we know
- The Oaklandside reported in August that the lower level of Lot C, near the Center for Elders' Independence on Bancroft Avenue, had been flagged by the Alameda County Immigrant Legal & Education Partnership. The mall also houses the Eastmont Wellness Center, run by Alameda Health System, and an Oakland police substation.
- A county sign bars immigration enforcement in the county-controlled part of the property, according to ABC7. The mall's owner, Tidewater Capital, did not respond to ABC7's request for comment.
- Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Bas attended the protest and said she would "remain vigilant."
- Organizers plan to send an open letter to the city and mall owners this week.
In a statement to ABC7, the Department of Homeland Security said, "ICE's presence in public parking lots is fully authorized under federal law and is a standard practice."
Oakland policy bars city officers from helping with civil immigration enforcement, The Oaklandside noted.