‘Dragged away after court’: Detention tactics at Minnesota immigration court hearings spark outcry

Immigrant-rights organizers and community leaders gathered Monday to condemn what they called a disturbing trend: plainclothes federal agents detaining immigrants immediately after their hearings at Minnesota’s immigration court — often without warning and in front of their families.

At a news conference outside the Whipple Federal Building at Fort Snelling, members of the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) described a pattern of detentions carried out by individuals presumed to be Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

The agents, they said, wear no uniforms, show no warrants and often don’t identify themselves.

Liz Szanton, a court observer with MIRAC, recalled trying to escort one man out of the courthouse after his hearing when agents “descended on us, forcefully broke through our circle and pulled him away.”

“We asked them repeatedly if we could have one minute to speak with him about his rights,” she said. “They refused. They dragged him through a door into a locked back room.”

The practice is not unique to Minnesota. Across the country, similar arrests are occurring at federal immigration courts as President Donald Trump’s administration continues intensified efforts toward detention and deportation — often met with legal challenges.

Historically, ICE generally did not make arrests at locations like schools, hospitals, courthouses and churches. But during the first Trump administration, the agency adopted a policy explicitly allowing courthouse arrests of “specific, targeted aliens,” arguing it was especially important in “sanctuary” jurisdictions where officials do not notify the agency before releasing immigrants facing deportation cases.

The Minnesota Star Tribune contacted ICE and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review seeking comment on the practice.

Szanton described another man detained in front of his family, including a toddler nephew just learning to walk. A third man, whose case had been dismissed, was in the waiting room writing a phone number on his arm when court officials asked observers to leave.

“ICE was anxious to detain him, so court officials kicked us out of the waiting room before he could finish,” she said. “ICE agents grabbed him, knocked the pen out of his hand and shoved his head down.”

Kelly Allen, also with MIRAC, witnessed four such arrests on July 9.

“One man left the courtroom after his case was dismissed and was tricked by agents claiming they had procedural questions about his documents,” she said. “They led him into a locked back room before he could even respond.”

Speakers argued that ICE’s presence in the courthouse undermines legal protections and public trust in the justice system.

“When ICE enters courthouses and hospitals and places of worship — when the branches of this immigration system collude to deny people their right to due process — there is no justice aside from what the people demand and fight for,” said Montana Hirsch of MIRAC.

The group issued four demands: no time limits in court waiting rooms, master hearings held online, no case dismissals over objection and an end to ICE detentions on courthouse grounds.

Suleiman Adan, deputy director of the Council on American Islamic Relations in Minnesota, called the arrests “a moral and human rights crisis.”

“Every day we are witnessing ICE weaponize our courthouses, turning places meant for justice into traps for deportation,” Adan said. “When people are afraid to access the legal system, we all suffer. Justice delayed is justice denied. Justice surveilled is justice destroyed.”

“These are members of our community that are being impacted,” Adan continued. “They came here for safety, for opportunity, to build dignified lives, and instead, they’re being snatched from the systems that promise them justice. At CAIR in Minnesota, we’ve walked with families who face this terror, and I want to name that — it is terror. We’ve seen fathers disappear from child custody hearings. We’ve seen mothers taken outside courtrooms while trying to secure protection orders.”

Among the more than 100 attendees was Joel Schwartz, 72, a longtime Twin Cities resident who said the arrests reflect broader threats to democracy.

“It’s a hugely important issue — just one part of what’s happening in the country,” he said. “It’s the tip of the spear for the right wing. There’s always got to be a scapegoat.”

“They’re taking away people’s freedoms, taking away their rights,” he added. “So it’s all part of a systemic move toward fascism. The administration, the people behind them, are taking their license from other fascist movements. They’re just doing exactly the same. ICE is the new Gestapo.”

Minneapolis City Council Member Jason Chavez, whose ward includes large immigrant communities, said ICE’s presence is sowing fear and instability.

“You have children of immigrants who are scared to receive that call from their parents, knowing one of them might be deported,” he said. “We live in a city where we say we do not believe in the existence of ICE. We believe in the abolition of ICE. And we believe in keeping families together.”

The Associated Press contributed to this story.