Immigrants who are seeking legal status, such as asylum, have to attend routine appointments at an immigration field office.
These meetings are held in private. Immigrants are not allowed to bring a guest, unless it’s their attorney, and reporters are not allowed to join.
According to a new data analysis of arrests in and around San Francisco between January and October last year, 53 percent of all arrests happened at these private appointments. Because they were happening out of the public eye, they attracted less attention.
About 20 percent of arrests during that period occurred in the community — often in the street, or outside of people’s home or workplace. About 15 percent of arrests happened in hallways outside of immigration courtrooms.
A spokesperson for ICE did not endorse nor provide comment on this analysis.
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