Dozens of immigrants across the country have reportedly been arrested by federal agents while attending routine immigration check-ins or court appointments, according to reports.
Under President Donald Trump’s new administration, and in accordance with his aggressive mass deportation plan, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers or agents are permitted to conduct enforcement activity in and around courthouses – so long as it does not violate any state laws.
Local news outlets in Tennessee, Florida, New York, Minnesota and more have reported on multiple unsuspecting people being arrested – some potentially readied for deportation – while showing up for a scheduled appointment.
A group of people in Delray Beach, Florida, were reportedly “tricked” into seeing an immigration officer at a local supervision office at the end of January only to be detained and taken away by immigration law enforcement, a family member told NBC Miami.
The acting assistant director for field operations, Garrett Ripa, denied the claim the people were “lured.”
At least three people without criminal records have been detained in Nashville during “routine check-ins” since Trump took office, according to the Nashville Banner.
One New York judge acknowledged at a public hearing last week that ICE officers have been conducting deportation arrests in the hallways or outside of courthouses, Times Union reported.
A spokesperson for ICE said in a statement, “Once an alien is subject to a final order of removal issued by an immigration judge or other lawful means, ICE officers must carry out the removal.”
“Aliens placed into removal proceedings receive their legal due process from federal immigration judges in the immigration courts, which are administered by the Department of Justice Executive Office for Immigration Review,” the spokesperson added.
The Executive Office for Immigration Review, a separate entity from ICE or the Department of Homeland Security, is where immigration judges determine whether or not an immigrant is subject to a a final order or eligible for certain forms of relief, the spokesperson said.
The recent string of arrests could instill fear in some immigrants who have upcoming check-ins or appointments, especially after the Trump administration issued a memorandum allowing enforcement officers to expedite deportations for any person with a removal order – regardless of any upcoming proceeding.
However, failure to appear for a routine appointment can result in deportation itself.
Being an undocumented immigrant is not a crime – it is a civil offense. But it is a crime to illegally re-enter the U.S. if the person has already been deported.
People who enter the United States are required to report to ICE officers for check-ins if they initially were detained by ICE upon entering or if they have an existing order of removal. Some must attend check-ins even while appealing a deportation order.
One mother was deported in January after reporting to her immigration officer for a check-in, unaware that she had lost her appeal in her case. She only learned of the order while attending the scheduled appointment with her young daughter in tow, according to NBC News.
Although the Trump administration has promoted a priority list of deporting those with criminal records first, Ripa told NBC Miami that “every” individual who is removable “is potentially an individual that we could take an enforcement action against.”
