Anti-ICE protesters wave signs outside the John Moss Federal Building in Sacramento on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. Protesters have been protesting outside the building on and off for months since Immigration and Customs Enforcement started detaining immigrants in the building.
HANNAH RUHOFF
hruhoff@sacbee.com
The Sacramento Police Department arrested two people and cited another person Wednesday near the John E. Moss Federal Building where protesters for weeks have gathered to protest federal immigration enforcement.
Officers went about 8 a.m. to the 600 block of Capitol Mall after a group of about four to five people blocked sidewalks and the road, said Officer Anthony Gamble, a spokesperson with the Sacramento Police Department. Officers had warned protesters for days before to clear the area filled items such as a table, tents and animals to not cause a hazard, he said.
The officers arrived Wednesday morning and saw protesters who were blocking the road, Gamble said, which prompted arrests.
Protesters have congregated around John E. Moss Federal building in response to immigration authorities killing two American citizens in Minneapolis last month amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration. Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both 37, were shot and killed by agents while in Minneapolis.
The demonstrations in Sacramento have resulted in arrests before. The Department of Homeland Security is investigating reports of vandalism lodged in January at the downtown building.
Scott Stauffer said he was sleeping in his car when officers banged on his door about 8 a.m. Wednesday. He awoke to several officers lining the street outside the John Moss Federal Building, at 659 Capitol Mall, who he said blocked off the street.
Stauffer was also attacked in January while protesting against ICE on N Street. He said he was hit with a truck, bear-maced and assaulted, according to previous Bee reporting. Two people were arrested in connection to the attack. Sacramento Superior Court records do not show the pair charged in the alleged assault.
Community members had donated canopies and tarps ahead of the protest since rainfall doused the region, he said. Those items were stuffed under his car and not blocking the road, he said.
Stauffer said he was arrested along with another person. That person sheltered under a pitched canopy on the grass with at least one table and chair, he said.
Stauffer said he was released from custody and returned to protest outside the John Moss Federal Building. He said he has traveled to Portland, Los Angeles, Albuquerque, Redding and Walsenberg, Colorado to protest federal immigration enforcement.
“It’s not about me and my comfort,” he said. “It’s about people being kidnapped on the street. It’s about trying to hold ICE accountable.”
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Ishani Desai is a government watchdog reporter for The Sacramento Bee. She previously covered crime and courts for The Bakersfield Californian.