OAKLAND, Calif. – Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents carried out an illegal and unprecedented arrest on Sept. 15 inside the hallways of an Alameda County courthouse, according to KQED. The arrest has sparked fear among immigrants who worry about attending future court hearings.
California passed Assembly Bill 668 (AB 668) in 2019, during President Donald Trump’s first term, to prohibit civil arrests in courthouses for individuals attending judicial proceedings or conducting other legal business. The law was enacted in response to Trump’s mass deportation agenda and escalating actions from what KQED described as an “emboldened” ICE.
“People who follow a judge’s orders to attend court should not have to fear federal agents kidnapping them and dragging them away to detention centers. Our democracy cannot function if this continues,” Alameda County Public Defender Brendon Woods said…