Rep. McClellan voices concern about ICE arrests at Chesterfield courthouse
The congresswoman says people aren't showing up to court “because they're afraid.”
US Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D–4th) met with officials at the Chesterfield County Courthouse Monday to voice concern that migrants who need to appear in court for relatively minor offenses are now choosing not to show up entirely to avoid being detained by US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents.
“We're seeing people who aren't showing up to get marriage licenses, who aren't showing up to report crimes, to press charges, to testify, because they're afraid,” she said in front of the courthouse Monday afternoon.
McClellan, whose district includes the courthouse, told reporters she was sponsoring a bill that would require ICE to inform Congress every time a person legally in the United States is detained or deported by ICE.
“There are a lot of people who have been in this country, in some cases decades, who may have been given protected status,” she said. “They need to be handled on a case-by-case basis. But what we are seeing is racial profiling.”
VPM News requested comment from Sheriff Karl Leonard, whose department handles court security, but he was unavailable for comment. ICE officials did not respond to comment requests.
Last month, ICE made a clutch of arrests at the courthouse, drawing outrage from some members of the legal community.
Amanda Pohl, Chesterfield’s court clerk, said the situation is causing people who need the services the court provides to contemplate avoiding it altogether.
“They're asking: Should they show up?” she said. “These are folks who want to get marriage licenses.
“Even US citizens are scared to come to court right now.”