Hennepin County attorney blasts ICE arrests at Minneapolis courthouse

                @keyframes spin {
                    0% { transform:rotate(0deg); }
                    100% { transform:rotate(360deg); }
                }


    Hennepin County Attorney questions ICE custody move 

Federal immigration authorities on Thursday arrested two people at the Hennepin County Government Center who were charged with alleged sex crimes, according to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.

The arrests at the downtown Minneapolis courthouse raised concern from Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are “harming crime victims by denying them a court process.”

The two people arrested by ICE are facing charges of criminal sexual conduct, but their cases have yet to be adjudicated.

Moriarty also worried that the presence of ICE in and around courthouses could prevent some witnesses from testifying.

“Our courts are not staging grounds for federal immigration enforcement,” Moriarty said. “These actions make it more difficult, and in some cases impossible, to get victims and witnesses to come to court to testify. Using local taxpayer resources to assist the federal government in civil immigration enforcement is inappropriate.”

A Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson said their deputies responded to “a reported fight call” at the courthouse and saw ICE agents taking custody of two people.

“Deputies’ actions were focused on de-escalation and protecting life,” the sheriff’s office said.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The post Hennepin County attorney blasts ICE arrests at Minneapolis courthouse first appeared on KSTP.com 5 Eyewitness News.