ICE Makes Another Courthouse Arrest

Milwaukee County Courthouse. Photo by Graham Kilmer.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have reportedly arrested another immigrant at the Milwaukee County Courthouse.

Reached for confirmation, Chief Judge Carl Ashley told Urban Milwaukee, “I have been informed that an ICE arrest took place this morning, May 7^th in the Courthouse Complex.”

James Burnett, chief of staff to Sheriff Denita Ball, confirmed that he was made aware earlier today of immigration agents in the courthouse.

Urban Milwaukee has been unable to ascertain the identity of the individual arrested. Wednesday’s arrest is at least the fourth time ICE has apprehended someone at the courthouse in recent months.

Elected officials, judges and local attorneys have raised serious concerns about the effect the immigration arrests are having on participation in the judicial system and the provision of due process.

Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested by the FBI on April 25 following an investigation into whether or not she helped an immigrant appearing in her courtroom evade arrest by ICE. Dugan allegedly directed the individual, a Mexican citizen named Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, to use a side door of her court room which leads to public hallway. He was eventually chased down by federal agents outside of the courthouse and arrested.

Since the first arrest, Milwaukee County officials have been working on a policy for how county and circuit court employees should respond to ICE agents that arrive at the courthouse to effectuate an arrest. The policy has not yet been publicly released.

The Milwaukee County Board recently expressed opposition to perceived unlawful acts by immigration agents in the courthouse, with many supervisors arguing the arrests were affecting the rights of county residents to receive due process in the local circuit court system.

Shortly after the initial ICE arrests became public in April, elected officials and civic leaders sounded the alarm about their potential to chill immigrant participation in the judicial process, including testifying as victims or witnesses of a crime, or to assert their rights in civil claims as a tenant or employee. Attorney’s noted that the arrests disrupt the local judicial process, preventing persons charged with a crime, regardless of their immigration status, from having their day in court.