Dozens of demonstrators chained themselves to the main ICE office entrance in San Francisco on Tuesday, prompting federal agents and local first responders to use bolt cutters to clear the doorway and arrest 44 people. KRON 4 footage showed officers carrying away at least one protester beside a sign reading "Dignity & Human Rights For All." Protesters said they were calling attention to immigrants they believe are unlawfully detained, while the Department of Homeland Security called the group "rioters" obstructing operations. The action comes amid stepped-up deportation enforcement by the federal administration in several major U.S. cities.
44 Arrested After Dozens Chain Themselves To San Francisco ICE Office In 'Love Over Cruelty' Protest
Dozens of demonstrators blocked access to the main Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in San Francisco on Tuesday by chaining themselves to the building's entrance, prompting federal agents and local first responders to clear the scene and arrest 44 people.
KRON 4's Bay Area footage shows officers breaking the action, including one protester being carried away by multiple law-enforcement personnel next to a sign on the ground reading "Dignity & Human Rights For All." Federal agents, assisted by the San Francisco Fire Department and the San Francisco Police Department, used bolt cutters to remove chains and reopen the entrance.
KRON anchor Reyna Harvey reported that no injuries were reported at the scene. Protesters said the demonstration aimed to draw attention to immigrants they believe are being unlawfully detained.
"Our immigrant neighbors are being abducted off the streets from this courthouse, going to legal courtrooms, and then they’re not coming out," said Kevin Mann, a longtime member of a local Unitarian church who joined the action to "stand up" for his neighbors. Another participant, Laurel Liefert, told KRON she was there to "stand in solidarity with the lives that are being destroyed."
ABC7 reported the chained demonstrators chanted and held signs demanding "love over cruelty" as they linked arms and locked themselves together. One protester told the station, "We don’t want ICE. We don’t want DHS. We don’t want them in our city," and urged a pathway to citizenship for undocumented residents.
In an official statement, the Department of Homeland Security described the group as "rioters" who were "impeding law enforcement operations" by chaining themselves to the ICE facility.
Broader Context
The San Francisco demonstration comes amid intensified enforcement by the Trump administration targeting undocumented immigrants. Officials say ICE and U.S. Border Patrol agents were deployed this year to several major U.S. cities — including Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago and Charlotte — to conduct targeted raids.
Those enforcement actions have frequently sparked protests and clashes. Authorities say anti-ICE demonstrators in Manhattan recently threw planters and chased federal agents during an operation at a parking garage in Chinatown, resulting in multiple arrests. NewsNation footage from an earlier New York demonstration showed reporters describing clashes in which some protesters allegedly yelled slurs and pushed federal agents.
Video of Tuesday’s San Francisco demonstration was posted by KRON 4.
