SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Conditions for migrants detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in San Francisco are so bleak that a judge ordered ICE to improve its holding center at 630 Sansome Street.
United States District Judge P. Casey Pitts made his ruling Tuesday in response to a lawsuit filed by attorneys representing undocumented Latino immigrants who were arrested after showing up at San Francisco Immigration Court and held in custody at 630 Sansome Street.
Detainees reported that ICE created inhumane cell conditions that “humiliate and degrade” migrants by treating them like “trash” and “animals,” according to attorneys.
Judge Pitts sided with the migrants’ attorneys who argued that the holding center deprives detainees of sleep, basic hygiene, and medical care.
The case stemmed from sweeping changes to ICE policies made by President Trump’s administration for immigration courthouse arrests and short-term holding facilities. Starting in January, federal agencies were instructed to “ensure the faithful execution of the immigration laws … against all inadmissible and removable aliens,” including at immigration courthouses, attorneys wrote.
Activists rally outside San Francisco Immigration Court on May 28, 2025. (KRON4 Photo)
In response, ICE significantly increased enforcement by arresting migrants at immigration courthouses and held a higher number detainees, for longer periods of time, in short-term holding facilities.
When ICE agents arrest a person on suspicion of breaking U.S. immigration laws, a detainee is placed in a holding facility in one of ICE’s field offices, such as 630 Sansome, until they are released or processed to be transferred to a long-term detention center.
ICE’s holding facility at 630 Sansome Street consists of six large cells with a capacity of ten people, and three small cells, the lawsuit states. Each cell contains metal benches, a toilet, and a sink. Temperatures in the cells are “very cold like a freezer,” detainees told attorneys.
The cells do not have beds, so detainees must sleep on mats placed on metal benches or on the concrete floor, attorneys said.
The judge concluded that “the conditions at 630 Sansome are likely punitive.”
Neil Sawhney, director of appellate advocacy at the ACLU of Northern California, said, ”The court’s order affirms that the government cannot use detention as a tool of punishment and must provide for the basic human dignity. Forcing people to sleep on concrete floors under bright lights and denying them access to medical care isn’t just inhumane, it’s unconstitutional.”
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Migrants in the lawsuit include asylum seekers from Guatemala and Mexico who were arrested at San Francisco Immigration Court. Some of the lawsuit’s plaintiffs were deported by ICE back to their home countries, attorneys said.
“This ruling is a vital step toward ensuring that no one is subjected to the cruel and degrading conditions we’ve documented at 630 Sansome,” said Laura Sanchez, legal director of the Central American Resource Center of Northern California. “We will continue to fight until these inhumane practices are ended for good.”
The judge found the following allegations raised in the lawsuit to be true:
- ICE routinely holds detainees at 630 Sansome for more than 12 hours, and some for 72 hours or more.
- ICE does not provide beds, mattresses, or blankets.
- Detainees must sleep with mats placed on metal benches or on concrete
floors, sometimes adjacent to open toilets or within one foot of other detainees. - ICE maintains frigid temperatures and lights cells continuously throughout each night.
- ICE does not provide detainees with basic hygiene products or prescription medications.
Judge Pitts wrote, “The Court agrees that the government has a strong interest in enforcing immigration laws and that detention of non-citizens in many cases serves that interest. But the government may detain a person without subjecting her to unsanitary conditions or depriving her of sleep and adequate medical care. The Supreme Court has long held that the Constitution forbids the government from subjecting even duly convicted criminals, who may be legitimately detained, to inhumane conditions of confinement.”
Amy Larson
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