A grandmother planning to document ICE arrests at the San Diego courthouse instead became the story Tuesday after video of her own arrest began circulating.
An ICE agent accused the woman of pushing her. After she spent hours in custody, she denied that to NBC 7 on Wednesday.
The latest video to send shock waves from San Diego immigration court through the immigrant community is actually not of an immigrant, but, rather of a 71-year-old U.S. citizen, Barbara Stone.
Stone was handcuffed and held by federal agents for eight hours on Tuesday, according to her family.
“I have a large bruise there,” Stone said on Wednesday. “I feel mentally and physically traumatized.”
In a video of the incident, which was shared with NBC 7, viewers can see the moment tensions boiled over. An officer says Stone pushed her.
NBC 7 made several attempts to contact ICE about the incident but was referred to the Federal Protective Service, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security. FPS has not responded to a request for comment.
NBC 7 spoke with Stone’s husband, Gershon Shafir, the day his wife was detained.
“She is a soft-spoken person who was here to protect innocent refugees, and she is the last person in the universe who would hit an agent or interfere with their work,” Shafir said.
Stone was at the court to observe proceedings and how the federal agents act, which is legal and, according to Ruth Mendez of Detention Resistance, is a 1st Amendment right.
“The fear is very, very real here,” Mendez said, “and the volunteers that are showing up today are now coming, knowing that there might be a risk of our own detention.”
No charges have been pressed against Stone, but her family said her phone was confiscated.
Mendez worries there will be invisible impacts — like people deciding not to volunteer. In the video, an officer can be heard suggesting that more people could get detained.
“The message that it sent was very clear: For us to be afraid to come back and do the work that we’re doing,” Mendez said, adding that “all Americans should know that this is how their taxpayer money is being spent, and that it is really a crying shame. The people who are actually suffering are the people who are seeking asylum.”
For her part, Stone said she would volunteer again.
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