Federal immigration agents arrested a man outside Los Angeles' largest courthouse on Wednesday, once again unnerving attorneys and court officials who say such tactics will discourage people from attending court hearings and serving as witnesses.
A man pleaded for help as federal agents carried him by his arms and legs away from Los Angeles' largest criminal courthouse Wednesday morning, marking another instance of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement using a tactic that has been repeatedly condemned by the legal community.
The man, identified by two sources and court records as Steven Rony Reyes, was charged late last month with possession of drugs with intent to sell. He was in court on Wednesday for a preliminary hearing, records show. But when he exited the courthouse on Temple Street, he was quickly surrounded by multiple federal law enforcement officers, according to footage obtained by The Times and a witness who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. Several men wearing surgical masks can be seen detaining Reyes, with some putting masks on once they realized they were being filmed. A man with a salt and pepper beard who appeared to be in charge of the arrest responded, 'Yes' when a woman in the crowd asked if he was with ICE, the video showed. Reyes can repeatedly be heard yelling in Spanish and screaming 'Please, help me!' over and over as officers drag him down Temple Street. They eventually lifted him by his arms and legs and carried him into a truck that was waiting in the street. Near the end of the video, it appears someone throws water at a federal law enforcement officer wearing a camouflage University of Alabama hat. It was not clear whether anyone else was arrested. Neither ICE or the Department of Homeland Security immediately responded to a request for comment. Spokespeople for the L.A. County Superior Court system and the district attorney's office did not respond to inquiries. Reyes is represented by the L.A. County Alternate Public Defender's Office, according to court records. The office's spokeswoman also did not respond to a request for comment. The incident marked at least the second time ICE has conducted arrests at an L.A. County courthouse since the Trump administration launched raids targeting undocumented immigrants in Southern California. In late June, agents arrested two women at the Airport Courthouse in West L.A. after lurking in a courtroom where they had appeared on theft charges. Advocates, defense attorneys and even some prosecutors have long sounded the alarm about the problems that could arise from ICE using state criminal courts as staging grounds for federal immigration enforcement. Such tactics have a chilling effect that could make people less inclined to come to court or serve as witnesses, critics say. “Federal immigration enforcement activities inside courthouses disrupt court operations, breach public trust, and compromise the Court’s constitutional role as a neutral venue for the peaceful resolution of disputes,” L.A. County Presiding Justice Sergio C. Tapia II said in a statement in June. “These actions create a chilling effect, silencing victims, deterring witnesses, discouraging community members from seeking protection and deterring parties from being held accountable for their crimes or participating in legal proceedings critical to the rule of law.”
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