Unprecedented ICE Arrest Inside Oakland Courthouse Draws Backlash | KQED

"Officials are raising dire concerns after federal immigration officers detained a man inside an Alameda County courthouse for the first time last week, according to the public defender's office. A client of the public defender's office was detained in the hallways of Wiley Manuel Courthouse in Oakland on Sept. 15, Woods said Monday. Two plainclothes agents who said they worked for ICE reportedly ushered him into an unmarked vehicle and took him to a detention center, where he remains."

"The public defender's office did not disclose any details of the client's pending case, or say whether or not the man had legal status in the U.S. He does not appear to have any criminal convictions, according to the office. There's only been one other known instance of an arrest inside a courthouse in California this year, according to the CalMatters report. ICE agents arrested a person inside the Oroville courthouse in Butte County on July 28."

"Both actions appear to directly violate the 2019 law, which says that if people fear they will be arrested while attending judicial proceedings, they will be less likely to show up, threatening the function of California's government and Californians' rights. During the immigration crackdown of Trump's first term, the state prohibited law enforcement agencies from making civil arrests, including immigration arrests, in courthouses when people are attending a court proceeding or conducting other legal business."

Federal immigration officers detained a man inside the Wiley Manuel Courthouse in Oakland on Sept. 15, escorting him into an unmarked vehicle and transferring him to a detention center. The public defender's office withheld the client's case details and immigration status; the client appears to have no criminal convictions. A separate courthouse arrest occurred July 28 in Oroville. Both arrests appear to conflict with a 2019 California law that prohibits civil immigration arrests in courthouses when people are attending judicial proceedings or conducting legal business, intended to prevent a chilling effect on court participation and protect Californians' legal rights.

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