CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — Demonstrators protested outside the Chesterfield Courthouse Wednesday morning as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents continued operations that have resulted in more than a dozen detentions since Friday.
Protesters called the courthouse detentions unconstitutional, while Chesterfield Sheriff Karl Leonard confirmed to CBS 6 that ICE agents were again present at the courthouse Wednesday. Demonstrators reported witnessing a man being detained during their protest.
"It's really scary to see that they're in unmarked cars. We've seen white vans, pickup trucks, and people coming out with their faces covered. It's just scary that there is no accountability," demonstrator Chelsea Higgs Wise said.
"When ICE conducts raids in courthouses, we do more than just dispute legal proceedings; we undermine the very foundation of due process."
Protesters claimed some individuals were being detained for minor infractions.
"We hear one person ran a stop sign because they don't have a license. They've paid their fine, and now they've been taken by ICE," Higgs Wise said.
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin defended the operations when asked about them on Tuesday.
"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," Youngkin said. "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."
The governor added that he appreciates Chesterfield County working with the statewide task force "to make sure that we're going to be able to keep Virginians safe."
However, during a courthouse press conference Wednesday, Chesterfield Circuit Court Clerk Amanda Pohl said her office was not cooperating with federal immigration authorities.
"We are not assisting ICE. No assisting ICE or any federal immigration agency on what we believe are unlawful practices," Pohl said.
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares said the people being detained in Chesterfield most likely fall into one of two categories.
"One, they're here illegally; they have committed violent felonies," Miyares said. "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 they can't stay in this country. And under the previous administration, despite that, nothing ever happened. 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 been ordered to be deported. So that's I have a strong suspicion that's what's happened in Chesterfield."
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
📲: CONNECT WITH US
Blue Sky | Facebook | Instagram | X | Threads | TikTok | YouTube
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. To learn more about how we use AI in our newsroom, click here.
