The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
September 15, 2017

ICE Agents Make Arrests at Brooklyn Courthouse
----------------------------------------------

In New York City, plainclothes ICE agents arrested four undocumented
immigrants at a Brooklyn criminal court building Thursday morning, in an
unusual move targeting a courthouse for immigration enforcement. An ICE
spokesperson later confirmed the arrests, saying the four men were
suspected of gang activity. ICE policy prevents officers from making
arrests at sensitive locations like schools, hospitals and places of
worship, without approval from supervisors. Courthouses are not included
on the list, but the practice is unusual and has been criticized by
prosecutors, police and defense attorneys. This is Katherine Poor of the
Legal Aid Society. 
bq. Katherine Poor: "It makes people very scared when they hear things
like this happening, because they are told by the court that they have
to return for their court dates. That's something that they are ordered
to do, and if they don't do it, a warrant can be issued for their
arrest. On the other hand, if people hear that there is ICE coming into
the courthouse, if there's ICE coming outside of the courthouse, and
they have fear for their own immigration situation, that puts people in
a very, very difficult position."
New York is a sanctuary city.