A shocking incident at a San Diego immigration court has raised alarms in the immigrant community, but this time, the person affected isn’t an immigrant. It’s 71-year-old U.S. citizen, Barbara Stone.
Stone was handcuffed and detained by federal agents for eight hours on Tuesday, according to her family.
“I have a large bruise there,” Stone said the day after the incident. “I feel mentally and physically traumatized.”
A video shared with NBC 7 shows the tense moment. In it, an officer accuses Stone of pushing him.
NBC 7 reached out to ICE for a comment, but the agency redirected them to the Federal Protective Service, which has not responded.
Stone’s husband, Gershon Shafir, spoke out about the ordeal.
“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 had been volunteering at the court to observe and understand how federal agents were handling cases. According to Ruth Mendez from Detention Resistance, this is well within Stone’s rights as a U.S. citizen under the First Amendment.
“The fear is very, very real here,” Mendez said. “And the volunteers who are showing up now are coming, knowing that there might be a risk of our own detention.”
Although no charges have been filed against Stone, her family says ICE confiscated her phone during the incident.
Mendez worries this will have a lasting impact, with volunteers too scared to show up. In the video, one officer is heard suggesting that more people could be 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. “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.”
Despite everything, Stone says she will continue volunteering.
“I’m not afraid,” Stone said.
Watch the report below from NBC 7:
