U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement this week detained a man who had been staying at a homeless shelter in downtown San Diego, marking at least the second time in two months that a resident of the large tent at 16th Street and Newton Avenue was taken into custody.
The man was stopped early Thursday afternoon outside shelter grounds, in between the facility and the nearby Monarch School, according to Alpha Project CEO Bob McElroy, who oversees the site.
It was not immediately clear why the man was detained or how long he’d stayed at the tent. A representative for the federal agency declined comment.
McElroy said they planned to report the incident to the San Diego Housing Commission even though immigration agents had not entered the shelter. City policy generally says visits from ICE need to be documented only if federal officials step onto the property.
ICE did through the gate at the 16th and Newton site on March 19, according to Alpha Project leaders and an emailed report of the incident obtained by the San Diego Union-Tribune through a records request.
Two ICE agents showed up at 7:50 a.m. “with a warrant listing a current resident’s name and a picture of the resident,” Beth Kolbe, Alpha Project’s program director, wrote to the housing commission. She listed the agents’ last names and badge numbers as well as an identification number for the resident.
“The agents would not allow a copy of the warrant,” Kolbe added, although an assistant manager reviewed the document and “noted the warrant appeared to be signed by a judge.” The report did not explain why the man was detained or who may have authorized the warrant.
The National Homelessness Law Center said that was the first known instance of immigration agents entering a homeless shelter anywhere in the United States since President Donald Trump returned to the White House.
Jesse Rabinowitz, a law center spokesperson, added that the istration’s decision to allow immigration enforcement at so-called “sensitive locations,” such as schools and churches, also applied to shelters.
People emigrating from other countries do not make up a large share of San Diego County’s homeless population. However, few aid organizations track exactly how many clients come from outside the United States.
Rumors that ICE this week had additionally arrested a person staying at a Father Joe’s Villages facility were not true, according to a representative for the nonprofit.
This story has been updated to note that an ICE spokesperson declined comment and to address rumors about an ICE arrest at a Father Joe’s shelter.
