Rally planned at ICE headquarters in San Francisco ahead of possible raids

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ByAmy Hollyfield KGO logo
Saturday, July 13, 2019
Rally planned at ICE headquarters in San Francisco ahead of possible raids
A protest is planned at ICE headquarters in San Francisco today ahead of raids that will reportedly happen on undocumented immigrants this Sunday.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A prayer vigil will be held at 11:30 a.m. outside ICE headquarters Friday. Activists say action like this is necessary because they don't want people to get too comfortable here since this is a sanctuary city. They want to raise awareness that this is happening here.

"I really think that these raids and the camps don't reflect who we are as Americans. I really believe that this is an issue with human justice and humanity," said organizer Deborah Garfinkle.

Activists are mobilizing, saying they want to respond with power, not panic. They are spreading the word to people about their rights; they have set up hotlines and are getting teams of lawyers ready.

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They are also banding together at rallies like one that took place at ICE headquarters yesterday in San Francisco. There will be a prayer vigil and rally there.

Activists say one thing they are worried about this weekend is access to those who are arrested.

"We were denied access to an individual in ICE custody. We also protested the fact that ICE continues individuals in this facility even though it's closed on Sundays. We reminded them that they have an obligation to uphold people's due process rights in the constitution of the United States and we're here to insure that that takes place," Hamid Yazden Panah, an immigration attorney with the California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice.

RELATED: How immigration authorities make arrests, conduct raids

The round up will target 2,000 undocumented immigrants on deportation lists, according to the NY Times. The raids are reportedly scheduled in at least 10 US cities including San Francisco. ICE officials will not confirm the raids

The rally is set to start in San Francisco at 11:30 a.m.

See more stories on ICE and immigration.