Four U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement [ICE] agents went to the Durham County Courthouse on Wednesday morning to detain a man due to make his first court appearance.
WRAL News has learned the man was in the U.S. illegally and he was facing a felony charge of domestic violence assault. The man, who is accused of striking his ex-girlfriend in the head in March, did not show up to court on Wednesday.
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WRAL News is not naming the man targeted by ICE until the agency confirms his name.
The ICE agents dressed in plain clothes did not detain anyone on Wednesday at the Durham County Courthouse. Hours after ICE agents arrived at the courthouse, a group of citizens, who do not support deportation efforts, said the agents arrived without any warning or transparency.
“From what we know, ICE came to try to detain someone before they could have a first appearance at court,” said Siembra NC senior strategist Andrew Willis Garcés said. “This is someone with a first appearance at court, not someone with a conviction.”
On Wednesday, WRAL News asked Garcés how he responded to knowing what the man is accused of doing.
“Everyone deserves to get justice here at the court. Everyone.” Garcés said. “That’s what state municipal laws all say. That’s what should happen.”
A source told WRAL News that ICE agents said the man had been deported in the past after facing a felony charge.
On Wednesday, WRAL News reached out to ICE to ask:
- Do ICE agents go through security like a civilian would at the courthouse? DO ICE agents enter the courthouse in a different place? If they do, is security there?
- Were the ICE agents who went to the Durham County Courthouse on Wednesday armed?
- Does ICE have to notify anyone – the sheriff’s office, courthouse personnel or attorneys – that they’re coming to the courthouse? If yes, whom do they need to notify?
- If ICE visits are unannounced, are agents required to identify themselves as ICE upon arrival to security?
An ICE spokesperson responded to our inquiry: “We don’t talk about people not in our custody nor do we talk about current, pending operations, for operational security purposes.”
Several speakers gathered Wednesday afternoon outside the Durham County Courthouse to speak against federal agents targeting migrants. It included Durham County Board of Commissioners Chair Nida Allam.
“This is a direct threat to the safety and dignity of our communities,” Allam said. “Courthouse should be a place where people can seek justice, not where they’re hunted down by federal agents.”
On Wednesday afternoon, the official X social media account of the North Carolina Republican Party posted, “Chair of the Durham County Commission attempting to dox ICE agents for doing their job. An UNACCEPTABLE action taken by an elected official. These brave law enforcement officers are doing their job removing dangerous illegals from our state. Shameful.”
“These actions don’t make us safer,” Allam said. “They drive people into the shadows, the separate families and they spread fear, not justice.”
Durham City Council Member Javiera Caballero was also among the speakers on Wednesday outside the courthouse. She said 20-30 Durham residents showed up to the courthouse “ready to respond to their neighbors’ most urgent needs.”
“Lots of business gets done in this courthouse,” Caballero said. “There’s lots of family law cases that happen.
“There’s a lot of really important work that Durham residents need to be able to do in the courthouse and not feel threatened and not feel unsafe.”
Durham leaders said they expect ICE agents at the courthouse again on Thursday.