Linda Vista resident, U.S. citizen detained by ICE, raises awareness after court hearing

Dozens gathered Thursday morning in support of “Blue” Wong, a longtime activist and a United States citizen who was detained by ICE earlier this month.

Wong was detained on July 2 following an ICE raid in Linda Vista. A total of three U.S. citizens were detained in the incident, including Wong.

Wong did not provide her first name because she wants to “level the playing field.” She knows very little about the officers who detained her. 

Video footage from the day shows Blue standing in front of ICE officers with her hands folded in front of her, as she butts up against the caution tape around the scene.

Then, without warning, she is grabbed by officers and taken away. 

Though not stated on ICE’s website, lawmakers have said ICE does not have the authority to arrest or detain U.S. citizens. In fact, a resolution to reaffirm this sentiment was introduced to the U.S. Senate on Tuesday.

“I have filled in, in this moment that I have an obligation to not lean into my fear, but I have an obligation to use this time to empower others to stand up, resist. That’s how I’m feeling right now,” Wong said after her hearing.

The day Wong was detained, she didn’t know where they had taken her at first. Her friends and family weren’t notified. She said she sang in solitary confinement, offering to be quiet only once a call was made to her wife. The agent made the call, and as promised, Wong quieted for the remainder of the evening — keeping a promise, unlike ICE, she said. 

“None of them had badge numbers, none of them had names, none of them had a clear uniform, none of them had vehicles that said who they were, but they know everything about me,” Wong said. 

Before Wong’s hearing on Thursday, there was a press conference and rally in support of the “Linda Vista Three” — those detained that day by Homeland Security. Shortly after the press conference, Wong made her way into the courthouse, her supporters following suit. The courtroom filled quickly.

The remaining crowd waited in the hallway during the hearing and welcomed Wong at its conclusion. 

“We’re not here to demonstrate or anything. We’re here in support of three people that all of us love. And we just don’t agree with how the United States is running the operations that they’re conducting on people who are visitors,” said human rights advocate Tasha Williamson. 

Among the courtroom attendees was Councilmember Raul Campillo. Campillo serves District 7, which contains the Linda Vista neighborhood where Wong was taken into custody.

“I was there this morning to observe what my constituents are going through and to see with my own eyes what our federal government is doing to people. Everyone in the United States is innocent until proven guilty. As a former prosecutor, I lived up to and honored that standard especially because I was a member of law enforcement,” Campillo said in a statement.

Wong expressed that the whole experience has been traumatizing, stressful, and, of course, new. From her time in detention to dealing with the publicity and press. But she is not leaning into that fear, and instead speaking up and out.  

“I feel like we’re living in lawless times right now, honestly, so I feel that my voice has to be heard no matter what the cost, because I’m in the skin of a colonizer, and with that comes duty, duty to speak out about the atrocities,” she said.

The July 2 incident also raised concerns over local law enforcement involvement in immigration raids. Under California law, state and local resources and agencies cannot aid in immigration enforcement.

However, the San Diego Police Department was called by HSI on July 2 to the Linda Vista scene. SDPD said in a statement that officers did not help HSI’s enforcement, but that they were present to ensure peace and safety for all parties.