A dramatic scene unfolded in Rhode Island when a high school intern at the Supreme Court was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents before a judge intervened, according to the state’s Judiciary office. Ultimately, the ICE agents were eventually forced to admit that the intern was not their intended target.
WPRI reports:
Superior Court Judge Joseph McBurney insisted the agents had the wrong person. It was not until ICE verified their information and admitted the intern was not their intended target that he was released.
Multiple sources told Target 12 that Rhode Island sheriffs earlier noticed someone taking photos of the intern inside the courthouse and in Superior Court Judge McBurney’s courtroom. When approached, the individual identified himself as an ICE agent and was told to abide by standard courthouse rules, and to stop taking pictures.
So, naturally, the ICE-holes threatened to smash in the windows of the judge's car - as one does:
The intern was reportedly shaken, so McBurney offered to drive him home. ICE agents then surrounded the judge’s car and demanded everyone to exit the vehicle, threatening to smash in the windows if they did not comply.
Dana Smith, Head of Security Operations for R.I. Superior Court, confronted the agents and told both the judge and the intern to stay inside the car. After an argument, ICE confirmed they had misidentified the teen and left. The intern was released once his ID was checked.
Democratic Rep. Seth Magaziner called the incident part of the administration's "reckless actions."
“This is yet another example of the disregard for civil liberties by immigration enforcement under the Trump administration,” he said, adding that he will “continue to call out the administration’s reckless actions.”
According to the outlet, Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos referred to the ICE agents’ actions as an “attempted abduction."
Outside the courtroom where the attempted abduction took place was attorney Miriam Weizenbaum, who said:
“If they had the wrong person, then they didn’t know who they were looking for, which calls into question whether they had the legal right to seize anybody,” Weizenbaum said. “It’s very frightening.”
Exactly that. And they have no idea who they were detaining, but maybe he had a darker skin color than Gregory Bovino, for example. Or ICE Barbie.
This is what it looks like when federal agents smash in the car windows of a US citizen in North Carolina:
@aljazeeraenglish A US citizen filmed federal agents smashing his car window, as authorities begin a surge of immigration enforcement operations in North Carolina. . The Honduran-born Charlotte resident filed a police report after the officers let him go. #news ♬ original sound - Al Jazeera English
The Honduran-born Charlotte resident filed a police report after the officers let him go.
