Sansome Street was filled with hundreds of faith leaders, immigrant-rights activists, and neighbors yesterday as they rallied outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in San Francisco in support of San Jose tattoo artist Guillermo Medina Reyes, who was appearing before an immigration judge amid fears he could be sent back to ICE custody after a long legal fight.
Protesters sang, chanted, and held signs that read “All people are sacred” and “Don't kidnap Guillermo,” with the crowd stretching across the downtown block, SFGATE reported. Speaking to supporters outside the building, Medina Reyes acknowledged the stakes of walking through the courthouse doors, saying, “The possibility that I may not come back out, that's something that I had to accept before coming here today.”
Medina Reyes, who came to the United States from Mexico when he was 6, has been wrapped in a years-long legal battle following a teen-era attempted-murder conviction and subsequent prison term. After serving his sentence, he was transferred to ICE custody, then released on bond in 2023, according to KQED. Local coverage has also noted later run-ins with police, including a July incident in which he was charged in a Berkeley crime spree, drawing additional scrutiny to his case.
Judge’s Order And The Habeas Petition
His legal team filed a habeas petition arguing that ICE cannot unilaterally re-detain someone who has already been released by an immigration judge, contending that a court must review any new detention. Advocates say a federal court agreed to temporarily block ICE from taking him back into custody while the issue is litigated. That preliminary injunction opened the door for Medina Reyes to seek a bond hearing before an immigration judge, according to a statement from CCIJ.
Supporters Push For Due Process
Faith leaders and immigrant-rights groups filled the sidewalk to argue that the case is about more than one man’s criminal record. They say it raises a larger question about ICE’s power to re-detain people without court review, coverage by the San Francisco Chronicle notes. Advocates, including Esperanza Cuautle of Pangea Legal Services, say the habeas petition secured Medina Reyes a basic procedural safeguard: the right to be heard in court before any re-detention.
Hearing Still Pending
By late Friday afternoon, the immigration hearing was still underway, and the crowd outside the ICE building waited for word of the judge’s decision, SFGATE reported. Lawyers and advocates warn that if Medina Reyes is re-detained, he could face months or even years in immigration custody while his removal case moves forward, according to KQED.
Legal Implications
In her order, U.S. District Judge Rita Lin wrote that the court could not identify any circumstance in which “government agents may unilaterally detain someone without a hearing beforehand,” language that forms the basis for the preliminary relief granted in Medina Reyes’ case, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Legal advocates say that if courts ultimately require bond hearings before re-detention, it could limit ICE’s ability to seize people at routine check-ins and as they leave courtrooms, a point they pressed in filings and public statements summarized by CCIJ.
For the faith leaders and neighbors who turned out, Medina Reyes’ case has become a test of whether communities can rely on due process at a time when ICE is increasing arrests at court appearances and check-ins. Organizers say they plan to keep monitoring court dates and accompanying people to their appointments as the legal fight continues.
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