SLO County man taken by ICE agents after court hearing. Here’s what we know
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- ICE agents detained a San Luis Obispo man after his court hearing Wednesday.
- The man called family from Los Angeles before phone contact was abruptly cut off.
- Detainment marks first known ICE action in SLO County since Trump policy shift.
Para leer este articúlo en español, haga clic aquí.
A longtime San Luis Obispo County resident who was born in Mexico was walking back to his car after a misdemeanor court hearing Wednesday when he was plucked off the streets of SLO by immigration agents.
He hasn’t been seen by his family since and is now in custody at an ICE detention center.
The man’s attorney, Hogan Ganschow, told The Tribune his client showed up on time to court and Ganschow watched him leave the courtroom after his hearing around 10 a.m. The Tribune is not naming the man at the request of the family for privacy concerns.
Then, later that evening, his client’s sister called Ganschow and asked him if her brother had shown up for court, because she hadn’t heard from him.
Around 7:30 p.m., his client’s sister called again. Her brother’s truck was parked where it usually was for court, but he was no where to be found. He had disappeared without a trace.
Her brother finally called her an hour later.
The man, 34, said he had been taken to Los Angeles after being detained by federal agents. The call cut off after two minutes, and she was never informed what agency took him or what detention center he was in.
Ganschow believes his client left the courthouse from the Palm Street exit and was picked up on Osos Street somewhere between Palm and Mill streets.
The Tribune confirmed his client was taken into custody by ICE.
It’s the first known ICE detainment in San Luis Obispo County since President Donald Trump ramped up immigration enforcement in recent months.
When The Tribune called ICE to confirm which detention facility he was in, an employee said they would need the man’s “alien identification number.”
However, if someone is undocumented, they may not have a number, the employee said, so there wouldn’t be a way to find out where they are located.
The only way to learn someone’s identification number is either through past legal documentation or if the detainee had shared it with someone.
Los Angeles County does not have an ICE detention center, but its field office has two facilities in San Bernardino County. There is a processing center in Adelanto and a separate detention center called the Desert View Annex, also in Adelanto.
Ganschow said his client has been in the United States for nearly all his life. The attorney said he’s been in close contact with his client’s family and informed the Probation Department that his client was taken into federal custody.
His client was sentenced Wednesday to formal probation for misdemeanor criminal threats and violating a court order. Ganschow said his client’s charges do not represent who he was. He was friendly, took responsibility and was ready to build a better life.
“It’s a terrifying time,” he said. “It’s a terrifying time not knowing what to do.”
This story was originally published July 3, 2025 at 2:16 PM with the headline "SLO County man taken by ICE agents after court hearing. Here’s what we know."
