James Queally reported in the Los Angeles Times on another ICE courthouse arrest yesterday. The arrestee was detained outside a Los Angeles courthouse after leaving a preliminary hearing regarding drug charges against him.
At The Lectern asked whether California Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero had any comment specifically on the story and also whether she thinks such arrests will cause more criminal defendants to not show up for their court hearings or trials.
Judicial Council Public Affairs spokesperson Merrill Balassone responded by “refer[ring] . . . to the Chief’s recent statement [see here] on the subject of federal immigration enforcement actions, where she addresses the issue in [the At The Lectern] question: ‘Making courthouses a focus of immigration enforcement hinders, rather than helps, the administration of justice by deterring witnesses and victims from coming forward and discouraging individuals from asserting their rights.’ ”
The Chief Justice similarly did not respond specifically to a report of different Los Angeles courthouse arrests in June.
Related:
Chief Justice pledges to protect court access against disruptive federal immigration actions
