On the occasion of the celebration of Independence Day in the United States, New York State Assemblywoman Grace Lee visited the Immigration Court at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan yesterday, July 3rd. She accompanied two immigrant men to observe the court proceedings. Shockingly, after the men were given their next hearing dates and walked out of the courtroom, they were forcibly arrested by agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) outside the courthouse. Lee immediately issued a statement expressing her shock and anger, describing it as a serious violation of justice.
Lee stated that she witnessed many families, children, and partners arriving at the court with anxiety and fear. Many of them had legitimate asylum claims and credible evidence to prove that they would face significant danger if deported back to their home countries. However, most of them were unable to present their cases to the judge and were quickly given a new hearing date before leaving the courtroom.
At the scene, Lee noticed ICE agents dressed in plain clothes and masks lurking outside the courthouse, holding the names and photos of their targets, ready to arrest them as soon as they stepped out of the court. The two men she escorted were granted a postponement in their court appearance due to the lack of interpreters that day. To her surprise, as soon as they left the courthouse, they were roughly apprehended by ICE agents in front of her, with one of them even breaking down in tears.
“These courts are no longer halls of justice but places where traps are set,” Lee remarked. Many immigrants are being deprived of the most basic due process rights, and this action is “unconstitutional, illegal, and contrary to the spirit of the founding of the United States.”
She called for attention to be paid to the imbalance in the immigration system and the violation of human rights caused by the policies implemented during the Trump administration as the nation prepares to celebrate the Fourth of July, a day of freedom and justice.