Courthouse arrests by ICE have been ramping up across California, particularly in the Inland Empire where court raids have become almost a daily occurrence. In response, two state senators have introduced bills in the California Legislature that aim to curb raids at courthouses.
Volunteers with immigrant rights groups often have a presence at state courthouses to inform people about ICE. Representatives with the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice say there were up to six arrests on Feb. 19 at the San Bernardino County Superior Court in Rancho Cucamonga and more than 30 overall since last year.
“The reason behind this trend, we suspect, is that federal agents are making the assumption that folks that are attending these state courthouses have some kind of a criminal record,” said Hector Pereyra, the policy manager with the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice. “They’re arresting now and asking questions later. It's the same illegal, indiscriminate arrests, racial profiling that we're seeing across the region, but it's especially alarming when it happens at courthouses.”
Last Thursday, KVCR witnessed federal agents arrest three people coming out of the Rancho Cucamonga court. One man who was arrested was looking for his son in the parking lot when agents and vehicles surrounded him.
“Hey, don’t touch my property,” the man said, as several federal agents restrain him into custody.
Minutes later, KVCR witnessed agents arrest two more men. One man attempted to evade agents by running in a circle through the parking lot before being cornered by ICE agents. Just a few minutes later, another arrest was made a few hundred feet away.
The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement the three men arrested at the courthouse had criminal convictions ranging from assault and battery.
Public defenders warn that ICE operations at courts have chilling effects for everyone involved in the justice system, not just undocumented immigrants.
Andrea Garcia, who is with the California Public Defenders Association, said they’ve been receiving reports of increased ICE arrests across the state, even in counties where there had previously been little to no federal enforcement activity.
Garcia, who also serves as a deputy public defender for San Bernardino County, said ICE’s presence is impacting civil, family and probate courts too.
“In all these types of cases, in different areas of law, there are witnesses and family members that may be attending the proceedings that are affected by this increased rate of ICE arrests occurring,” Garcia said.
In response to the influx of recent courthouse arrests, state Senators Susan Rubio (D-West Covina) and Eloise Gomez Reyes (D-Colton) have introduced bills to protect immigrants at courthouses.
Rubio, who represents the San Gabriel Valley and Pomona, has introduced Senate Bill 882, which attempts to provide remote court hearings for undocumented people. Rubio said she believes it’s the decent thing to do to ensure accountability on both sides.
“We’re giving them a court date,” Rubio said. “They're doing everything that we ask them to do, and they're being punished. They're being terrorized, and essentially, they're being kidnapped in front of their children.”
Meanwhile, Reyes’ bill — Senate Bill 872 — will require federal agents to identify themselves and present judicial warrants when making arrests within 1,000 feet of a courthouse. Reyes says watching videos of the arrests at the Rancho courthouse were “sickening.”
She added that she expects legal push back, but she’s committed to keeping ICE out of state courts.
“The message has to be that there has to be restrictions,” Reyes said. “They’re stalking the court proceedings … and then following people to the parking lots. It is based on how they look, how they speak. This is indiscriminate arrests by ICE agents.”
DHS officials said in a statement that “politicians who refuse to cooperate with federal agents are putting their own constituents in danger.”
“We need state and local law enforcement engagement and information, so we don’t have to have such a presence on the streets,” the release says. “Sanctuary policies have consequences, and unfortunately, they are the murder, rape, assault, robbery, or drug overdose of American citizens.”
But Rubio disagrees. She says DHS agents are reckless with their arrests and don't follow the law, and she wants to make sure everyone has constitutional rights to due process.
“So know that we're fighting hard and we will continue to push back. We're going to be loud, and we're going to protect one another,” she said. “That's what we do.”
This story was edited with support from The California Newsroom, a collaboration of public media outlets throughout the state
