ACLU asks ICE to stop making 'abusive arrests' at courthouse
Immigration agents avoid looking for suspects at “sensitive locations” including hospitals, schools and places of worship.
But courthouses aren’t on the list of such sites, and they should be, the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California says in a letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. It asks the feds to stop sending U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to make arrests at Kern County courthouses in and around Bakersfield, Courthouse News reports.
“Attending court hearings is not only a constitutionally protected right, but it is vital to public safety that residents can appear in court, comply with law enforcement citations and court orders, and seek other court services without fear of reprisal from ICE,” attorney Michael Kaufman wrote in the letter.
ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Courthouse News.
An ACLU press release provides further details and links to a copy of the letter.
