Plain Clothes ICE Agent at Wake County Justice Center Tells Attorneys to Take Their Immigration Conversation Elsewhere

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Good morning, readers.

A man who identified himself as a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent confronted two attorneys in the Wake County courthouse last week. While they discussed a case with immigration implications, the agent (who wasn’t wearing a uniform) flashed a badge and told them to take their conversation elsewhere. 

As the INDY’s Jane Porter reports, the encounter comes as the Trump administration lays the groundwork for carrying out more deportations, including rolling back past guidance that ICE agents should generally avoid conducting enforcement actions in sensitive places like schools, churches and courthouses. While it’s not unprecedented for ICE agents to be present at courthouses in coordination with the local sheriff, it is unusual for them to do so in plain clothes, and against the backdrop of national politics, the incident upset the attorneys involved, who brought the agent before a judge to discuss what happened in a courtroom where audio was being recorded.

“We as the judicial leadership for the district have urged ICE that it is counter-productive for them to increase enforcement activities within the courthouse,” Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman told Jane. “We have a wide community of victims and witnesses and defendants who will stop coming to court if they are at risk of being taken into custody.”

Read the full story here and have a good Monday.

 —Sarah W.

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