Oregon Supreme Court Issues Rule to Limit ICE Courthouse Arrests

Oregon Supreme Court Chief Justice Martha Walters issued a new rule prohibiting civil arrests in or around the state’s courthouses unless a judge has signed an arrest warrant.
 
“The rule was adopted following a request to prohibit U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from making arrests in courthouses acting only on their own administrative warrants,” according to the chief justice’s press release. However, ICE has pushed back against the new rule, stating, “Despite any attempts to prevent ICE officers from doing their jobs, ICE will continue to carry out its mission to uphold public safety and enforce immigration law, and consider carefully whether to refer those who obstruct our lawful enforcement efforts for criminal prosecution.”
 
“Oregon is the third state, after New York and New Jersey, to issue a statewide court rule,” according to Oregon Public Broadcasting. The state’s new rule also follows a series of lawsuits in New York and Massachusetts against ICE for their arrests in courthouses. Last year, the Brennan Center also worked with 75 former state and federal judges to send a letter to ICE’s acting director Ronald Vitiello, denouncing the agency’s courthouse enforcement activities.

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