CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have detained 14 people over three days at the Chesterfield County courthouse, Chesterfield County Sheriff Karl Leonard told CBS 6.
"ICE showed up at the Chesterfield courthouse on Friday and detained six people," Leonard confirmed to CBS 6 reporter Cameron Thompson. "They came back yesterday, Monday, and detained six more. They are on the premises today as well."
Leonard said his staff received "little notice" about the operation, and he was not sure how long it would last.
"All 14 were defendants appearing off the street for court appearances in our General District Court for a myriad of both misdemeanor and felony offenses. None of the 14 were incarcerated at the time. And all 14 were detained after their court appearance was completed without incident," Sheriff Leonard wrote in a statement about the situation. "It is not clear how ICE determines when to be at the Chesterfield County court campus. However, the list of defendants appearing in court on any given day is public information and easily accessible on the internet. Once that list is accessed, it can be easily compared to any other list one may have to compare names."
Images of ICE agents detaining people at courthouses around the country have be shared widely on social media as President Trump and his administration carry out a crackdown on illegal immigration. In many cases, immigrants are arrested after a judge grants a government request to dismiss their case, making them eligible for expedited removal.
"We have a statewide collaboration and partnership between state police, ICE, FBI, and DEA working to make sure that violent criminals who are here illegally are arrested," Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said Tuesday when asked about the situation. "So the fact that there have been some arrests at the Chesterfield County Courthouse makes sense because they clearly have been arrested, they clearly are here illegally and therefore that's part of our statewide effort. We've been working with counties constructively and I appreciate Chesterfield County working statewide task force to make sure that we're going to be able to keep Virginians safe."
Watch: ICE agents at Texas immigration court
Youngkin said there has been more than 2,000 arrests as part of the Virginia Homeland Security Task Force.
"These are overwhelming individuals that fall one of two categories," Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares said at the same event. "One, they're here illegally, they have committed violent felonies. Or two, I would remind my friends in the press there are 1.4 million illegal immigrants that have already had a deportation hearing. In other words, they've already been in front of a judge. A judge already heard their case, adjudicated the case, and said you can't stay in this country. And under the previous administration, despite that, nothing ever happened. And so what you're seeing overwhelmingly are people that have already had their day in court, so either a violent criminal or they've already had their day in court and they've been ordered to be deported. -- So that's I have a strong suspicion that's what's happened in Chesterfield."
Del. Michael Jones, a Democrat who serves Virginia's 77th District, also issued a statement, saying in part:
"The courthouse stands as hallowed ground within our constitutional republic—a sanctuary where justice is sought, where due process manifests, where the rights of the individual are to be zealously protected against the awesome power of the state. When ICE agents transform this space into a site of apprehension, they desecrate the very temple of justice their oath of office obligates them to uphold. These enforcement actions, conducted with minimal notice to local officials, demonstrate a troubling disregard for the integrity of our judicial system.
"What transpires in courthouses reverberates far beyond those marble halls. The systematic targeting of individuals at courthouses—regardless of the technical legality of such operations—engenders a climate of fear that permeates entire communities. When immigrants fear that appearance at court—whether as defendants, witnesses, or family members—may result in detention and possible deportation, the machinery of justice itself becomes compromised. Witnesses refuse to testify, victims decline to report crimes, and those seeking the protection of the law retreat into shadows."
CBS 6 is working to determine who ICE has detained and whether they remain in custody.
Earlier this month, protesters gathered along Midlothian Turnpike to demonstrate against ICE raids.
Members of the 50501 Virginia Movement organized the rally, calling for action against what they describe as "corruption and authoritarianism in the Trump administration" that they believe threatens democracy.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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