New York Attorney General Letitia James announced on Monday that her office has formally made a legal filing urging the U.S District Court for the Southern District of New York to block ICE from detaining immigrants inside of courthouses.
James’ office said the amicus brief challenges policies that allow widespread arrests as men, women, and even children attend their legally mandated court hearings. For months, amNewYork has documented masked ICE agents as they lie in wait in the halls of 26 Federal Plaza and 290 Broadway in Lower Manhattan and swiftly detain people as they leave the courtrooms.
In one incident, amNewYork observed a woman calling into her hearing remotely and telling a judge that she was too afraid of ICE to attend in person. However, he ordered her to return to court immediately.
Situations like these stoke fear, according to James, who says this could have a serious trickle-down effect that will result in immigrant New Yorkers being too frightened to testify in state and local courts, pursue orders of protection against their abusers, or participate in critical court hearings.
“Courthouses are dedicated to the pursuit of justice, not targeted harassment and arrests,” James said. “With these cruel and unlawful courthouse arrests, the federal government is weaponizing fear to push immigrants into the shadows, drive families apart, and risk everyone’s safety. I will not stand by while New Yorkers are stripped of their rights and our courts are used for intimidation.”
The state attorney general also warned that the mass arrests inside federal courts would also make it more difficult for prosecutors to hold criminals accountable, while also making it less likely for victims to come forward to law enforcement out of fear they could be reported to ICE.
James also charged that the legal document outlines the financial and emotional impact family separations have on children whose parents are pulled away from them. She states that there are about 640,000 undocumented residents living in the Big Apple, many of whom are essential to the state’s workforce.
In the aftermath of a breadwinner’s arrest, their children are left to navigate poverty, food insecurity, and even homelessness. She also added that research shows children also suffer anxiety, depression, and PTSD, effects that often persist well into adulthood.
amNewYork has often observed children become anxious when they are forced to brush by the masked, armed agents lining the court corridors. The kids often scream for their mothers or wilt in fear as they pass. In a recent visit to 26 Federal Plaza, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander called the ICE operations a waste of resources.
“A hideous waste of our tax dollars as Americans going to a deportation machine that has nothing to do with safety. Again, these are not people who have been accused of any crime. These are people who are complying with the law by coming to court. So, it is an abominable waste of resources,” Lander previously told amNewYork.
