SAN FRANCISCO—A group of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents had to force their way through about two dozen protesters on July 8 to escort a detained man through the gate of the San Francisco Immigration Court building to a vehicle waiting outside.

“On July 8 protestors violently attacked and obstructed federal ICE officers who were simply doing their job by enforcing our nation’s laws,“ an ICE spokesperson said in an email to The Epoch Times. ”Of course these protestors have zero respect for the rule of law, as they so casually violate it.”

A video on social media shows that several ICE agents tried to break through a human chain of protesters and bicycles that blocked the gate of the courthouse at 100 Montgomery Street to make way for a man wearing black and red who was being escorted out in handcuffs by a few other immigration officials.

The protesters screamed at the officials, and some protesters tried to block the way with their bodies. One of them grabbed the handcuffed man and tried to pull him away from the officials but failed.

Meanwhile, other protesters surrounded an ICE van. A video on Reddit shows that agents yelled, “Get back,” and used batons to push them away from the vehicle.

About half a dozen protesters climbed onto the hood of the black van, trying to stop it from moving. In another video posted on social media platform X, all but one person scattered when the vehicle started to move faster, and the remaining person fell off the van after it drove about half a block.

“This type of vile behavior has led to a 700 percent increase in assaults against ICE officers, and just last week, a coordinated attack at an ICE facility led to an officer being shot,” the ICE spokesperson said. “There is no tolerance for violence, and those responsible will be held accountable.”

The incident took place amid ongoing conflicts between ICE and political activists over immigration law enforcement. For example, a recent lawsuit in California alleges that federal agencies such as ICE are using unconstitutional and illegal tactics and stopping individuals based on race and ethnicity.

In another legal case, a Peruvian asylum seeker who had illegally entered the United States in 2023 appeared in San Francisco Immigration Court on July 3 this year. She was given more time to respond by the court and told to come back another day. When she left the building, ICE agents detained her. On July 4, a federal judge ordered ICE to immediately release her.

Illegal immigrants who cannot offer proof that they have stayed in the United States continuously for at least two years are eligible to be put in the “expedited removal” process under the current policy of the federal government. This means that ICE officers can deport them directly without immigration court processing—with some exceptions, such as if the illegal immigrant is seeking asylum.

In such cases, if the application for asylum is rejected, the immigrant will have at most seven days to stand before an immigration judge for an appeal. The judge’s review is limited to determining whether the individual has credible fear of returning to his or her home country.

“Most aliens who illegally entered the United States within the past two years are subject to expedited removals,” a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said in an email to The Epoch Times.

The spokesperson said millions of illegal immigrants have previously been released into the country and given a notice to appear before a judge, instead of being deported right away.

“ICE is now following the law and placing these illegal aliens in expedited removal, as they always should have been,” the spokesperson said.