SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Four volunteers who accompany immigrants to court hearings and ICE check-ins were briefly detained and issued citations Thursday at the federal building where ICE offices are located.
Federal Protective Service police issued the citations on the second floor of the federal building, where check-ins take place. The volunteers say they were escorted out of the building and told they could not return for the day.
Robert Kovelman, one of the four volunteers cited, read aloud from the citation he received.
"Failure to comply with signs prohibiting…" Kovelman said.
Patrick Corrigan, another volunteer, described what officers told the group.
"They informed us that we were not allowed to loiter," Corrigan said.
The volunteers said officers told them the rules had changed on Wednesday night.
"They said, 'No, that's not correct. The rules changed as of yesterday, that it's been in process and that there's been a change,'" Kovelman said.
Volunteers like these have been showing up since last May, accompanying people to their hearings and ICE check-ins after the agency began detaining people in the hallways. Many of the volunteers are faith-based community members.
ABC 10News has spent days in the hallways with these volunteers, observing the work they do.
"We stand with people, we sit with them, we pray with them, we're just a presence as they walk this journey," Corrigan said.
"The government is supposed to be of the people, by the people and for the people, we are the people and we have the right to see what our government is doing," Kovelman said.
While it is not known what led up to the citations, Department of Justice policy states people can observe proceedings in courtrooms, entrances, exits, and corridors.
ABC 10News reached out to the Federal Protective Service about what happened Thursday, but had not heard back.
Each citation carries a $250 fine plus a $30 processing fee.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
