ICE operation sees man detained in Berkeley

Federal agents detained a man in Berkeley last week amid a "civil immigration enforcement operation" led by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, The Scanner has learned.

The operation appears to have been Berkeley's first confirmed public ICE detention in recent years, despite growing concerns and reports about possible enforcement activity around the area.

The Berkeley Scanner is the first to report this news.

One neighbor, who asked not to be identified, said she was on her porch Thursday when three vehicles pulled up, followed by a gray SUV driving the wrong way that stopped abruptly on Woolsey Street east of Telegraph Avenue.

A photo of the operation showed a man who appeared to be in his 20s, wearing jean shorts, a black puffy jacket and black-and-white flip-flops, being handcuffed by a man in khaki pants wearing a vest marked "police" as two agents stood close by and several other officers kept watch from a slight distance.

The detainee, who was in a driveway next to a black electric scooter, "put up no fight," the neighbor said, as "they handcuffed him and walked him away."

The neighbor said she believed she recognized the man as a resident of the block "for quite some time," but added that there tends to be a lot of "coming and going" in the busy residential neighborhood.

On Monday, a U.S. Department of State spokesperson confirmed by email that the officers were special agents with the Diplomatic Security Service.

The agents, the State Department said, were supporting an operation led by Enforcement and Removal Operations, a division of ICE that "manages all aspects of the immigration enforcement process, including the identification, arrest, detention and removal of aliens who are subject to removal or are unlawfully present in the U.S," according to its website.

The State Department directed all other inquiries about the operation, including its legal basis and information about the man who was detained, to ICE, which had not responded to requests for details as of publication time.

The Berkeley Police Department was not involved in Thursday's operation and was unaware of it until the community began asking questions.

Officer Byron White, Berkeley police spokesman, said no outside agencies had informed BPD about plans to enter the city.

"Although it is a best practice to pre-notify an agency that you plan to take law enforcement action in another jurisdiction, it is not required," he said Friday.

Neighbors who saw what happened quickly contacted Councilman Mark Humbert's office to share their concerns and seek details.

"This is not OK!" one of them told Humbert, according to emails reviewed by The Scanner. "We’re all a bit concerned."

Humbert represents the Berkeley City Council district where the operation took place, which is just over the Oakland border.

Woolsey Street itself is the dividing line between Berkeley and Oakland, from approximately Adeline Street east to College Avenue.

"Given that ICE activity appears to be increasing nationwide and we now have evidence of it in Berkeley, we unfortunately need to be vigilant and prepared," he said Monday. "That means knowing what to do if you see suspected ICE/CBP activity."

Humbert told neighbors he would advise Berkeley's city manager and police chief about the incident, and directed residents to the Alameda County Immigration Legal Education Partnership (ACILEP), which is collecting reports about potential ICE activity in the Bay Area.

ACILEP is available by phone Monday to Sunday, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., at 510-241-4011.

The organization asks people to use a mnemonic called "SALUTE" when reporting what they've seen.

• Size / Strength: How many officers? How many vehicles?
• Actions / Activity: What are they doing?
• Location / Direction: Where are they? Address? Direction of travel?
• Uniform / Clothes: What are they wearing? Uniform Colors, markings?
• Time / Date: What time did you see them? How long were they there?
• Equipment / Weapons: Do they have helmets, batons, guns, vests?

ACILEP did not immediately respond Monday to a request for comment.

The Scanner will update this report if additional details become available.