ICE has detained dozens of people – largely unsuspecting rideshare or delivery drivers – at the gates of Camp Pendleton, according to court records and multiple attorneys, who say federal judges have repeatedly ruled those detentions illegal and ordered their release. While drivers who were n ot authorized to enter the base previously may have been allowed to turn around and leave, these detentions are part of a partnership between ICE and the base announced in May. Relevant content: Immigration Feb 23 Rideshare driver detained while dropping passenger at Camp Pendleton, family says Immigration Mar 6 Rideshare driver detained at Camp Pendleton gate after waiting 7 years in immigration backlog Neither ICE nor the Department of Homeland Security responded to a request for comment on the practice, including an inquiry into how many arrests they’ve made at the gates. But an attorney who represents about 15 people detained this way since September said he wouldn’t be surprised if it was at least 10 people a day stopped at the gates, then taken to the Otay Mesa Detention Center. “Several of my clients, when I talk to them and I’m getting their story from them, they report that there were three other cars of people waiting,” attorney Brian McGoldrick said. “Just the numbers that I see, how many people are getting detained every week, and that the other attorneys are seeing, that’s got to just be the tip of the iceberg.” McGoldrick said the majority of his clients are Uber or Lyft drivers attempting to pick up or drop off passengers on base, though others have taken a wrong turn or not realized their intended destination is in a restricted area behind the gate. “Right past the entry gate is a big shopping area. There’s a Jersey Mike’s, McDonald’s, there’s a big gas station. There’s a few other shops. So if you’re on the 5 [freeway] and you’re looking for gas or something to eat, sometimes the mobile app will send you to that shopping center,” McGoldrick said. “There’s no warning that you’re going to go on to a Marine base. It just says this is the closest place.” “While most unauthorized access attempts are inadvertent, often caused by civilian motorists unintentionally navigating to base gates due to GPS misdirection, others may present deliberate security risks,” the U.S. Marine Corps said in announcing the partnership with ICE last year. “Officials urge all drivers to confirm their routes in advance, as commercial navigation systems do not always reflect geo-fencing around Camp Pendleton’s restricted areas.” That announcement said the initiative was in a “proof-of-concept phase” and would be evaluated for its “effectiveness and scalability,” pointing to a possible expansion at other military installations, particularly those close to the border and ports of entry. Camp Pendleton is one of three bases cooperating with ICE in this kind of partnership, with the other two located in Hawaii and Quantico, Virginia, the military said. A spokesperson on Wednesday said there were no concrete plans for expansion at this time. “The safety and security of our Marines, Sailors, family members, civilian employees, and all who work and have proper access to Marine Corps installations are of the utmost importance,” the U.S. Marine Corps said Wednesday, adding that interagency collaboration is longstanding and their work with ICE is “not new.” But attorney Valerie Sigamani said some of her clients detained at the gates had been allowed on the base before, working for construction or cleaning companies, or had family at Camp Pendleton. Last year, ICE detained the parents of a Marine attempting to visit their daughter, who’s married to a Marine and lives on base. “Most all of them are male and they’re the breadwinners of the family, so it has been really detrimental for their families,” Sigamani said. “They’re losing their income for a month. That is very difficult for them.” Both Sigamani and McGoldrick said their clients taken into custody this way have largely already been within the backlogged immigration system, some with pending asylum claims, visa applications or in the green card process — following the rules, with work authorization while they wait.   “They’re usually really confused,” McGoldrick said. “The government knows who they are. They know what they’re doing. They’ve given them permission to work.” “Suddenly they’re just told, you know, ‘Wait here,’ for two hours, and then ICE shows up and, ‘Get out. Turn around,’ and they’re shackled,” he continued. “That’s all they’re told. They’re never told why they’re being detained. Because there really is no reason for them to be detained.” “Their trust in the immigration system, their trust in the ability to think that the status that they have actually protects them, definitely makes an impact on their mental health, on just their trust of the community, the government,” Sigamani added. A review of court records showed several habeas corpus petitions for these kinds of cases filed in federal court, asking a judge to rule the detentions illegal and order either a bond hearing or their release. One of those petitions was for a man married to a U.S. citizen, working for a moving company and helping a Marine and family move onto the base when he was detained. “It’s devastating,” McGoldrick said, recalling a client who didn’t have anyone to pick up his car, so it was towed from the base as he spent several weeks at the Otay Mesa Detention Center. “By the time he got out, the impound charge on the car was more than the car was worth, so he lost his car.” McGoldrick said some of his cases were still pending, but all of his 11 clients whose habeas corpus petitions have been adjudicated were ultimately released. “I personally don’t understand, if every time I bring one of these cases to the district court and the district court says what they’re doing is violating these people’s Constitutional right to due process, why is the commandant of the base participating in this?” he asked, adding that he believed the effort was designed to boost detention and deportation numbers. “They’re supposed to be detaining 3,000 a day, right? So this is like a turkey shoot,” he said. “This is really easy. They don’t have to do any investigation. They don’t have to chase anybody down the street.” “If you’re not a citizen and you don’t have a green card, stay away from every military base,” McGoldrick continued. “Never go on. You’ll be detained.” Sigamani said she’s advising the same. “This is not the time to really play with the government,” she said. ...read more read less