ICE Agents Arrest Man Outside Courthouse And Pushes Lawyer To Get To Him

Immigration Custom Enforcement agents continue to make the news for unorthodox procedures in their way of working. Their questionable practices have managed to gather a considerable crowd of protestors and defense attorneys outside a Brooklyn courthouse who are denouncing ICE agents for punching on a man who has no prior criminal record.

According to his attorney, Genaro Rojas Hernandez, was awaiting trial for a misdemeanor assault case when he was handcuffed and led out of the courthouse.  ICE agents in civilian clothes detained the undocumented immigrant while he was speaking to his attorney.

According to The New York Post Hernandez’s Legal Aid attorney, Rebecca Kavanagh said that agents “were pushing and shoving” her out of the door, trying to get to her client. “It was a silly misdemeanor case […] on track to be dismissed,” Kavanagh said. “I couldn’t believe what was going on because court officers are not permitted to, should not be assisting ICE agents in making arrests.”

The Splinter News contacted the authorities for comments on the arrest and they were able to get the following statement from them.

“ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) deportation officers arrested Genaro Rojas-Hernandez, a Mexican citizen who has two separate criminal charges pending following arrests by the New York Police Department, inside the Brooklyn Criminal Court on Nov. 28. Rojas-Hernandez was encountered by ERO deportation officers in a public area within the courthouse. The officers were advised that he needed to complete his hearing, and Rojas-Hernandez returned to the courtroom to complete his criminal hearing. ERO deportation officers were summoned to the courtroom at the completion of the hearing and Rojas-Hernandez was taken into ICE custody. Rojas-Hernandez was issued a notice to appear before an immigration judge and is currently in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.

Because sanctuary cities like New York City do not honor ICE detainers, immigrants, who often have significant criminal histories, are released onto the street, presenting a potential public safety threat. Courthouse visitors are typically screened upon entry, making arrests inside such facilities far safer for everyone involved. ICE does not target victims or witnesses for enforcement action.”

Following the dramatic detention of Hernandez, dozens of supporters joined by legal aid NYC attorneys, rallied outside the building demanding ICE to end the controversial practice of arresting immigrants in courthouses, a method that has now become routinary under Donald Trump’s administration.

Article inspired by Splinter News // Attorney Says ICE Agents Shoved Her Out of the Way to Arrest Her Undocumented Client in Courthouse