In New York, ICE agents have carried out a series of arrests targeting migrants immediately after their mandatory immigration court hearings.
This practice, recently observed inside a federal building in Manhattan, reflects a stricter immigration policy since Donald Trump’s return to the White House just six months ago.
According to the Associated Press (AP), these operations were conducted by ICE agents who targeted asylum seekers as they exited the courthouse.
Armed with documents containing photos of their targets, ICE agents arrested nearly a dozen migrants in just a few hours on the 12th floor of the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building, located in downtown Manhattan, AP reported. The outlet noted that this strategy is not limited to New York.
Similar arrests are reportedly taking place outside other immigration courts across the United States. The Trump administration has set an ambitious goal: to reach one million deportations per year.
Migrants have few alternatives. Failing to appear at an immigration hearing is, in some cases, considered a violation that can result in immediate deportation. This forces many asylum seekers to appear in court, fully aware they may be detained upon exiting.
Among those arrested was a man named Carlos, originally from Paraguay.
According to statements from New York City Councilmember Brad Lander, reported by AP, Carlos had an upcoming hearing and a pending asylum application under the Convention Against Torture. The judge had provided specific instructions on the evidence required to support his claim.
Following his hearing, Carlos was apprehended by agents wearing neither visible badges nor warrants, Lander said.
The arrest allegedly took place in a stairwell at the back of the building. The councilmember also claimed that the asylum seeker’s sister, who had come to accompany him, was shoved to the ground.
Brad Lander, who had previously attempted to accompany another migrant during an arrest last month, was briefly detained by ICE agents. “It looks like a judicial proceeding, but it’s really a trap to lure them in,” he told reporters outside the courthouse.
The White House, for its part, defended the actions of federal agents. “The brave men and women of ICE are being targeted by deranged Democrats, but they remain committed to their mission,” a spokesperson told AP. The administration added that these agents “risk their lives every day to remove the worst criminals from our streets and neighborhoods.”
Although deemed legal by the administration, this new tactic of making arrests at the courthouse continues to raise concerns among local officials and immigrant rights advocates.
New York is not the only city where arrests have taken place in or around immigration court buildings. Several incidents have been reported in Chicago, Denver (Colorado), and Boston (Massachusetts), among others.
