DHS Announces No More Routine ICE Arrests at Courthouses

 Posted on April 28,2021 in Immigration

President Biden has announced that his administration will be limiting the number of immigration arrests that take place at courthouses. According to the new policy, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will no longer have the authorization to carry out routine arrests at courthouses.

ICE agents will still be able to arrest individuals in cases in which matters of national security are at risk or the individual poses a threat to public safety. They will also be able to arrest an individual who is the subject of an active pursuit or if there is suspicion the individual may destroy evidence.

Addressing Fears of Law Enforcement

The policy of immigration arrests at courthouses was put in place by the Trump administration and allowed ICE agents to make routine immigration arrests at federal, state, and local courthouses. The practice is believed to have caused many people to avoid cooperating with law enforcement or attending court hearings. Many undocumented immigrants were fearful of confronting domestic abusers or testifying at trials because they feared being arrested by ICE agents and then facing deportation charges.

In announcing the new policy, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the Trump administration-era policy had a “chilling effect on individuals’ willingness to come to court or work cooperatively with law enforcement.”

In one case that made national headlines, ICE agents arrested a domestic violence victim in El Paso, TX, immediately after she had been granted a protective order. According to witnesses of the incident, there was an ICE agent inside the courtroom where the victim’s hearing took place. There were also agents guarding the courtroom’s exit doors and staked out on the courthouse floor the courtroom was located on, all waiting to arrest the woman.

Reasons for Deportation

While President Biden has taken steps to remove many of the immigration policies put in place by his predecessor, there are still many situations in which documented and undocumented immigrants can face deportation. Some of the more common reasons why the government moves forward with deportation include:

• The individual’s visa has expired.

• The individual entered the United States illegally.

• The individual has been convicted of a crime since entering the country.

Contact a DuPage County Immigration Attorney for Assistance

If you or a loved one have been arrested by ICE and are facing deportation, you need a dedicated Itasca deportation defense lawyer advocating for you. Call Unzueta Law Group, P.C. today at 630-509-2363 to schedule a confidential consultation. Time is of the essence in these situations, so do not delay contacting our office.

Sources:

https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2021-04-27/us-to-limit-immigration-arrests-at-courthouses-under-biden

https://www.wbur.org/npr/515685385/ice-detains-a-victim-of-domestic-abuse-at-texas-courthouse