ICE agents make arrests at San Jose courthouse, jail

(KRON) — This June, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents made targeted arrests of people at Elmwood Correctional Facility jail in Milpitas and the Hall of Justice courthouse in San Jose, the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office confirmed.

“Over the past several weeks, we have observed an increase in the presence of ICE agents at county facilities and the Superior Court,” the sheriff’s office wrote Tuesday.

ICE agents arrived last week in the public lobby of Elmwood jail to detain an inmate who was scheduled to be freed from custody. Three plainclothes ICE agents entered the lobby and provided the name and release date of the inmate.

A deputy at the front desk confirmed the information, which is publicly accessible through the sheriff’s online inmate locator, public court records, and federal databases. As soon as the man was released from county custody, ICE agents took him into federal custody. His wife was standing nearby in the jail’s lobby, the sheriff’s office said.

The Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office said it did not assist in the arrest, nor provide advance notification to ICE about the inmate’s release from jail. “There have been at least four instances where ICE has arrested individuals upon release from custody,” SCCSO wrote.

Federal immigration enforcement officers have also detained people as they showed up at the Hall of Justice courthouse in San Jose.

“Federal agents have also been seen at the Clerk’s Office at the Hall of Justice and have apprehended individuals outside the courthouse as they arrived for, or left from, court appearances,” SCCSO wrote.

Computers inside the clerk’s office allow members of the public to look up detailed information about ongoing court cases. ICE agents, as well as any member of the public, are legally allowed to be in public areas of county facilities without notice.

“We understand these events can cause distress. However, we are legally obligated to provide equal access to publicly available information — whether the request comes from a family, friends, or any law enforcement agency,” SCCSO wrote.

SCCSO also clarified that it complies with valid arrest warrants and court orders signed by judges.