Amid the unrest outside San Francisco's immigration buildings, a U.S. citizen protester, detained by federal agents for 24 hours, has now been charged with two federal misdemeanors. Angelica Guerrero, who was rallying against ICE's detainment of undocumented immigrants, was released Thursday, yet her arrest has raised questions regarding the legality of such actions by ICE authorities. ABC7 News reported that Guerrero described her experience as being without "a phone call, without being able to contact a lawyer or anything."
Guerrero, a transgender woman, spoke of the conditions in the holding cells at Santa Rita Jail after being transferred from the location of her arrest at 630 Sansome Street in San Francisco. "Those holding cells in Santa Rita Jail are barbaric," Guerrero said in a statement obtained by ABC7 News, recounting the walls "covered in feces and blood." Furthermore, Guerrero and her family, as well as community advocates, were frustrated with ICE's lack of disclosure regarding her whereabouts immediately following her arrest.
Charged with destruction of property and assaulting, resisting, or impeding a federal officer, Guerrero's encounter with federal agents was initially captured on video, where agents are seen tackling and zip-tying several protesters. According to Mission Local, the protester's manner of arrest and subsequent processing was unique and notably escalated in comparison to past incidents, with Angela Chan, the city's assistant chief public defender, noting that holding a citizen at an ICE building is "unheard of."
Amidst a citywide search for Guerrero, the gym where she worked in Oakland closed to enable her co-workers to join the efforts, which lasted into the night until Guerrero was located at Santa Rita jail, according to an interview with her partner, Renee, published by Mission Local. Guerreros' case garnered significant attention, sparking conversations about the rights of protesters and the conduct of federal agents; indeed, the president of the service employees’ union, Theresa Rutherford, expressed in a statement obtained by Mission Local the union's outrage at her violent arrest.
After facing a troubling 24 hours without her belongings, reportedly taken as evidence, Guerrero walked out of the federal courthouse without shoelaces, her phone, or wallet. The incident, on top of the misdemeanor charges, raises concerns about the right to due process, and Rachel Lederman, Senior Counsel at the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund, cited ICE agents' immediate violence and restrictions on Guerrero's ability to communicate as violations of both First and Fourth Amendment rights. Guerrero is expected to be back in court in September. As Magistrate Judge Sallie Kim pointed out, she has been ordered to keep her distance from federal buildings, a concession to the practicality of attending her own hearings.
