Controversial Pro-ICE Billboard Removed In SF

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — A controversial billboard promoting Immigration and Customs Enforcement that appeared in San Francisco earlier this week to kick off Super Bowl LX festivities has been removed, officials said.

The digital billboard appeared at Fisherman's Wharf and had at least three rotating slides that cycled through and referenced the Super Bowl. One slide whowed an agent holding a trophy with the caption, "Defensive player of the year: ICE."

Another slide put two pictures next to each other: the one on the left showed football players and said, "they can't win without defense," while the photo on the right said, "neither can America," with a picture of ICE agents below.

SEE ALSO: 'ICE Out Of The Bay' Rally Kicks Off Week Of Super Bowl Events

On Wednesday, Supervisor Danny Sauter announced on social media that the business owner where the billboard ad was placed, along with the Fisherman's Wharf Community Benefit District, had it removed.

"No one in San Francisco - visitor or local - wanted to see those pathetic billboards," Sauter said on social media.

The billboard, which was put up by a pro-ICE group called American Sovereignty, comes at a time when the Bay Area community has already been struggling with elevated fears over ICE agents converging at the Super Bowl.

NFL and Bay Area officials have emphasized that there are no plans for ICE enforcement during Super Bowl week and that the agents will only conduct routine security operations.