ICE confirms SoMa arrest of previously deported man after video shows agent drawing gun
Raw Video: Immigration enforcement in San Francisco's SoMa
Security video from WYZE shows immigration enforcement underway in San Francisco's SoMa neighborhood Monday morning. The mayor says he is in contact with the Rapid Response Network on this case. They say the public defender's office has identified the man who was detained and that he is getting legal assistance and support.
SAN FRANCISCO - Following the arrest of a man swarmed by armed tactical officers and plainclothes agents in San Francisco, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed Tuesday that its officers carried out the operation.
Federal officials said agents from the ICE San Francisco field office arrested 51-year-old Milton Ramos-Rodriguez, a citizen of El Salvador, on Monday morning in the city's SoMa neighborhood.
According to ICE, Ramos-Rodriguez was previously deported from the U.S. and has a prior conviction in California for voluntary manslaughter.
Federal authorities did not provide details regarding the conviction or specify when he was originally deported. ICE officials also alleged Ramos-Rodriguez has ties to the Sureños gang, but did not elaborate on how that connection was established.
"ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) remains committed to protecting public safety by locating and arresting criminal aliens who pose threats to our communities," said ERO San Francisco acting Field Office Director Julio S. Hernandez in a statement. "This enforcement action reflects the dedicated work of our officers and law enforcement partners to uphold the law and prioritize the safety and security of the public."
Milton Ramos-Rodriguez, 51, shown in this photo provided by ICE.
Bystander footage captures arrest
The operation took place Monday morning outside 360 6th Street. Video clips shared by an anonymous witness show Ramos-Rodriguez, dressed in a suit, backed against a metal grate and wall as officers move in.
"I'm not doing anything," Ramos-Rodriguez can be heard saying as at least four men struggle to detain him.
In one clip, a plainclothes agent wearing a red flannel shirt and a badge around his neck brandishes a firearm. Three other agents wearing tactical gear have their faces covered.
"I'm a U.S. citizen. You're not supposed to touch me," Ramos-Rodriguez says in the video, repeatedly asking to see the officers' badges and telling them, "Don't touch me."
Ramos-Rodriguez was eventually handcuffed and led away by agents. He remains in ICE custody.
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An airport spokesperson said the ICE action was unrelated to President Trump's directive to deploy agents to airports nationwide to assist the TSA.
Advocates, city officials respond
The San Francisco Rapid Response Network said it is aware of the video footage and is in contact with the San Francisco Public Defender's Office regarding the immigration case.
On Tuesday, city officials announced an emergency rally for immigrant services on the steps of City Hall.
At that rally, Ramos-Rodriquez's lawyer with the SF Public Defender's Office, Francisco Ugarte, said he is working to determine his client's immigration background and verify the allegations that his client is a criminal.
"That's what they always do," Ugarte said. They call everyone criminals. They call everyone felons. It's the language of criminalization that's very powerful that tends to win popular support. But we're catching up to that. So, I don't think we can trust anything that they say."
Ugarte said he's working to mount a defense in this case and others. "We're just going to fight back very, very hard. We are united on the political, the organizers, the ground, the lawyers. We're acting better than we've ever acted. We're responding immediately to arrests. We're getting people out of jail."
On the day of the arrest, the public defender's office issued a scathing statement.
"It is outrageous for a plainclothes ICE agent to pull a gun on someone walking down the streets of our city," the public defender's office said. "Our Immigration Defense Unit is mobilizing to ensure that the man has legal representation. We are part of a robust network of Bay Area immigrant rights advocates who will not tolerate violence by ICE agents in our communities."
Immigration legal services budget
The detention brought broad condemnation from other San Francisco city leaders who said they will not stand by and allow immigration officials to snatch people off the streets without due process. Supervisor Jackie Fielder announced that she is introducing an emergency budget supplemental to direct funds to immigration legal services.
"We cannot wait for things to get worse in San Francisco," said District 9 Supervisor Jackie Fielder, who represents the Mission District, which has a large Latino population and cultural district. "That is why today I'm introducing a piece of legislation to enhance funding for local immigration services and the Rapid Response Network.
Board President Rafael Mandelman promised to fast track the plan.
"This, I am confident, will be very unanimous. We will waive the 30-day rule. The mayor will sign it and we will get the money flowing as soon as we possibly can.
The immigration case
At this point, we don't have a court date for when Ramos-Rodriguez's case will go before an immigration judge. City leaders said this is an example of why they have to act now.
The Source: Statement and details provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) alongside bystander video and statements from the San Francisco Public Defender's Office, the Rapid Response Network and reporting from the emergency rally for immigrant services.