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SAN FRANCISCO — In a significant ruling, a federal court provisionally certified two classes and granted a preliminary injunction requiring U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to remedy unconstitutional detention conditions in short-term hold rooms at its San Francisco Field Office at 630 Sansome Street.
The order by Judge P. Casey Pitts of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California stems from a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s policies allowing ICE to arrest immigrants when they come to immigration court and the practice of detaining immigrants for days in unsafe, ill-equipped holding cells at the Field Office. The Court found that the conditions at the San Francisco facility are likely unconstitutional and issued thirteen directives requiring ICE to remedy the conditions, effective immediately.
In a 51-page opinion, the Court found that ICE “routinely” holds people in cells at 630 Sansome for over 12 hours, and that some are held over 72 hours. The Court described numerous conditions at the facility as likely unconstitutional, including ICE’s “denial of beds or mattresses, continuous lighting, and maintenance of frigid temperatures without providing blankets,” the facility’s “unsanitary conditions and denial of basic hygiene resources,” and ICE’s failure to provide medical intake or prescription medication and failure “to consider requests for medical attention that are not made in English.” The injunction requires ICE to take immediate steps to provide basic human necessities, including:
- All people detained overnight must be provided a bed, mattress, and clean bedding, plus sufficient space to sleep and a clean change of clothes.
- Medical screenings must be provided by a medical professional, and access to medical care, mental health care, and prescription medications must be provided to all people detained in the holding rooms.
- Lights in holding cells must be dimmed between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. and cells must be kept at comfortable temperatures.
- All detained individuals must be provided adequate hygiene products, including soap, toothbrushes, and feminine hygiene supplies.
- Thorough daily cleaning of the cells must be provided.
- All detained individuals must be made aware of the protections from the Court within one hour of being detained, as well as the way to request medical assistance, via materials written in their primary language. ICE must also provide interpreters to individuals who do not receive translated written materials.
In light of these court-ordered protections, the Court declined to suspend ICE’s June 2025 nationwide policy waiving its own 12-hour limit on detention in temporary hold rooms. But the Court recognized the urgency of the underlying legal challenge,ordering both parties to propose a plan to resolve the plaintiffs’ challenge to the 12-hour waiver “expeditiously”– paving the way for a swift final decision on the legality of ICE’s decision to permit prolonged detention in facilities, a practice the agency itself has long regarded as ill-equipped for that purpose.
View the order here.
A hearing on the class’s other claims challenging the Trump administration’s courthouse arrest policies is scheduled for December 9, 2025.
The plaintiffs in the case are represented by Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area (LCCRSF), the Central American Resource Center of Northern California (CARECEN SF), the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Northern California (ACLU NorCal), and Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass LLP.
Attorney Quotes
“Our community members have endured unimaginable suffering in these freezing, filthy cells, treated as less than human for the ‘crime’ of seeking safety in this country,” said Marissa Hatton, senior staff attorney at Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, who argued the plaintiffs’ motion seeking a preliminary injunction. “This decision is a powerful affirmation of their humanity and a critical check on an administration that has sought to operate outside the rule of law. We will continue to stand with our clients to ensure these reforms are fully implemented.”
“Forcing people to sleep on concrete floors under bright lights and denying them access to medical care isn’t just inhumane, it’s unconstitutional,” said Neil Sawhney, director of appellate advocacy at the ACLU of Northern California. “The Court’s order affirms that the government cannot use detention as a tool of punishment and must provide for the basic human dignity of all people in its custody.”
“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. “The court has rightly recognized that the Constitution’s protections against punishment without due process apply to everyone, regardless of their immigration status. We will continue to fight until these inhumane practices are ended for good.”
“The Court’s opinion, based on a mountain of evidence from those who suffered these conditions, leaves little doubt that ICE’s practices at 630 Sansome are unlawful,” said Mark Hejinian, partner at Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass LLP. “We are gratified that the Court has ordered immediate relief to prevent further irreparable harm to the individuals detained there.”
“Provisional class certification ensures that the Court’s preliminary injunction protects the rights of everyone who is detained at 630 Sansome,” said Nisha Kashyap, program director at LCCRSF, who argued the plaintiffs’ motion for provisional class certification.
