Around 50 people, some holding signs that read “keep ICE out of the courthouse and protect our neighbors” gathered at the Hennepin County Government Center Tuesday afternoon. 

Attorneys and immigration advocates say they’re concerned that Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE agents are increasingly showing up to court hearings and using that time as an opportunity to arrest people before they get “access to justice.”

Attorney Yastril Nañez says people, mostly in the Latino community who are both citizens and non-citizens, are afraid to show up to court. 

“Because there have been multiple sightings of ICE at the courthouse, not only sightings, but also people getting arrested and not seen again by their family,” she said. 

Hennepin County Chief Public Defender Mike Berger says that most of the people being arrested at the courthouse or at the Public Safety Facility (PSF) where first appearances are held are ‘out of custody’ cases, meaning they face less serious crimes.

Berger says an increase in arrests is partly because of the Laken Riley Act – a Republican-led bill that requires the Department of Homeland Security to detain certain undocumented immigrants who have been arrested for theft, including thefts valued at more than $100.

“So the fact that ICE is showing up at the courthouse, arresting these folks, particularly at the arraignment, and more importantly, at any point before a sentencing occurs, is interrupting this presumption of innocence that is hallowed ground for our country,” he said.

It’s not new for ICE agents to arrest people coming to court or to the Public Safety Facility where first appearances are held. Berger says ICE routinely made similar kinds of arrests during the Obama Administration. Although the practice was less common during the last four years under President Biden.

There has been an increase in courthouse arrests, says Berger. He couldn’t provide exact numbers but said the number is in the double digits.

Tuesday’s protest follows other demonstrations decrying arrests by ICE agents.  Just last week, a group gathered outside an aluminium finishing company in St. Louis Park to protest the arrests of several employees by ICE. Employees said the company recently audited the staff’s immigration documents and that employees received a notice two weeks before the arrests of an I-9 audit, which they shared with advocates and reporters.

The note told employees to prepare residency documents, like a driver’s license, a green card or a valid visa. And according to employees and advocates, ICE agents made the arrests shortly after the audit.

Other ICE arrests have drawn public attention such as that of a worker arrested at Nupa Restaurant in Rochester, who was later granted bond. 

MPR News asked an ICE official if they can identify how many of those arrests are attributed to the Laken Riley Act, and they responded by saying that information isn’t available right now.

Collected from Minnesota Public Radio News. View original source here.