ICE agents arrest man at Oakland courthouse, public defenders say

(KRON) — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested a man inside the Wiley Manuel Courthouse in Oakland following a pre-trial hearing on Sept. 15, according to a statement issued by Alameda County public defender Brendon Woods on Monday.

Two ICE agents in plain clothes allegedly detained the man in a courthouse hallway and took him out of the building to waiting, unmarked vehicles. Agents took him to an ICE detention facility, where he remains in federal custody, according to Woods.

“ICE raids at our courthouses must stop immediately,” Woods said in a statement. “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.”

The ICE arrest was the first made in an Alameda County courthouse under the authority of President Donald Trump, according to Woods. 

“Everyone — our clients, victims, witnesses, staff, lawyers — deserves to participate without fear,” Woods said. “Our justice system loses legitimacy when people do not feel safe entering a courthouse. We cannot allow a racist, authoritarian regime to interfere with our local courts like this. It’s time to pick a side. Either you allow this to happen to members of our community or you take action to prevent it.”

Woods is calling on the public and local officials, including the Alameda County Sheriff Yesenia Sanchez and District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson, to “protect the courts as places of safety and due process.”

Woods provided the following suggestions:

• Post signage at courthouse entry points requiring ICE agents and all law enforcement personnel to identify themselves upon entry, whether in uniform or plain clothes.
• All agencies commit to not cooperate with ICE enforcement actions by prohibiting employees from affirmatively contacting ICE, sharing information about individuals’ court or probation appointments, case status or immigration status with ICE.
• All agencies commit to promptly notify each other upon learning of any planned or active ICE enforcement action occurring at or near the courthouse or jail.

Deputy Public Defender Raha Jorjani, who supervises the Alameda County Public Defenders immigration team, said that “no one should be punished for obeying a court’s request for a personal appearance.”

“By appearing before the criminal court, our client was obeying the rules,” Jorjani said. “This is about more than one arrest. It’s about whether we are building a system rooted in justice — or one rooted in fear.”