A controversial immigration enforcement strategy has prompted a lawsuit from New York City officials, backed by Mayor Eric Adams. The suit calls on the Trump administration to immediately end ICE arrests at courthouses.
"No one should be afraid to send their children to school, go to a hospital when sick, call 911 when in danger, or go to a court hearing when called upon to do so," Adams said.
According to recent data analysis from the city, over the past few months, half of all the courthouse arrests made by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the U.S. took place in New York City. They occurred in buildings like 26 Federal Plaza, where people show up to immigration court for mandatory hearings.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | Trump administration sues NYC, blames city's immigration policy for shooting
In response the city's lawsuit, Department of homeland Security defended courthouse arrests.
"Nothing in the constitution prohibits arresting a lawbreaker where you find them. The ability of law enforcement to make arrests of criminal illegal aliens in courthouses is common sense. It conserves valuable law enforcement resources because they already know where a target will be. It is also safer for our officers and the community. These illegal aliens have gone through security and been screened to not have any weapons," Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Scripps News in an emailed statement.
However, advocates argue that detaining respondents as they leave court undermines the legitimacy of the immigration process.
"People are showing up with their hearing notice. They're going to the court room that they've been told to go to. They're coming with the documents for their case or whatever the judge has required of them. And they look outside that waiting room and they see ICE officers oftentimes detaining people while other people are waiting for their court hearing," Benjamin Remy, senior staff attorney for New York Legal Assistance Group's Immigrant Protection Unit, told the Scripps News Group.
"What we're seeing is that people are being forced to choose between gambling by continuing with their case and risk being detained indefinitely, or to be ordered to remove without even having a chance to present their case. And that just places people in an impossible situation," Remy added.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING | Deportation fears grip New York’s Little Haiti neighborhood
The situation has left many immigrants caught in a web of chaos and uncertainty.
"They don't know if they're going home to their family. They don't know if they're going home to their kids," Remy added. "They're essentially taking a gamble, and that gamble is to try and do things the right way."
Sonia Wiecek, a court watcher who regularly attends hearings at 26 Federal Plaza, is one of several who attempt to mitigate the fear surrounding these detentions.
"Our primary role as court watchers is to be there to help collect contact information for any emergency contacts should they be detained by ICE," Wiecek told Scripps News Group. "I think it's a level of assurance to them — a very small level of assurance — that people are out here and they're looking out for them."
