State Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid (D-Bridgeview) is calling ICE arrests at the Bridgeview Courthouse this week “a gross violation of the U.S. Constitution and Illinois law” and pledges that his office will seek answers about what happened and why.
On Wednesday, June 17, federal immigration agents detained three people at the Bridgeview Courthouse, including one child.
“Illinois law, the Court Access, Safety and Participation Act, prohibits warrantless immigration arrests of anyone attending court,” Rashid said in a statement issued Wednesday afternoon.
Congressman Jesús “Chuy” García (D-4th), state Senators Celina Villanueva, Javier Loera Cervantes, State Representatives Norma Hernandez, Edgar Gonzalez Jr., Aarón M. Ortíz Theresa Mah, Cook County Commissioner Alma Anaya, Ald. Mike Rodriguez, Ald. Jeylú B. Gutiérrez and Julia Ramirez, Commissioner Eira L. Corral Sepúlveda, Chicago School Board Member Yesenia Lopez, District Councilor Elianne “Ely” Bahena, and Summit Public Library Board President Yareli Cortez, issued the following statement regarding the illegal detentions conducted by ICE at the Bridgeview Courthouse:
“Yesterday, federal immigration agents conducted unlawful arrests at the Bridgeview Courthouse. Despite state and local laws prohibiting civil arrests at courthouses without a judicial warrant, these agents detained three people, including a woman and a small child. At no point did they present a warrant. Video evidence shows local law enforcement officers seemingly assisting with a violent arrest and even shaking hands with a federal agent afterward. Once again, ICE is illegally kidnapping people at our courthouses and local law enforcement officers seemingly helping them do it. Our community is sick and tired of criminality and the impunity. We demand a thorough and independent investigation of this matter, and accountability for all violations of our laws.”
According to the Cook County sheriff’s office, a man ran through the courthouse entrance and security checkpoints before deputies stopped him. ICE agents then entered the building and handcuffed the man on the floor near a metal detector.
When removing him to a vehicle outside, the Chicago Sun-Times reported, agents told a court lieutenant they possessed a valid arrest warrant but did not present it for inspection.
The Cook County public defender’s office told the Chicago Tribune it could not locate federal criminal charges against the man, who had appeared in court for a hearing to be offered deferred prosecution on a misdemeanor retail theft case.
The public defender’s office also said agents detained a woman and a small child earlier Wednesday morning as they attempted to enter the courthouse.
The office characterized both arrests as “clear violations of state law.”
“I am extremely concerned and have reached out to the Cook County Sheriff’s office for answers. It’s unclear if the ICE agents had a valid judicial warrant,” Rashid said.
The detentions occurred despite a state law signed in December that prohibits federal agents from conducting civil arrests at courthouses and their immediate surroundings. Cook County Circuit Chief Judge Timothy Evans issued a corresponding order in October barring such arrests, and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle signed an executive order prohibiting federal agents from staging on county property.
“I am directing my office to expend all resources at our discretion to get to the bottom of what happened today,” Rashid said.
Video circulating on social media showed two masked federal officers in green vests restraining the man as bystanders repeatedly asked if they possessed a warrant. The agents did not respond.
“There must be accountability for masked agents breaking state law and acting with impunity,” Rashid said.
The sheriff’s office told local news media that its officers did not participate in the arrest. The public defender’s office noted that the deputies did not ask federal agents for the warrant.
“The conduct displayed by the federal agents was illegal and deeply concerning,” the public defender’s office stated. “As the video clearly shows, ICE was permitted to arrest someone inside of the lobby of the courthouse despite offering no evidence of compliance with state law and court order.”