Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested two women outside a West Los Angeles courthouse on Tuesday, marking a renewed and controversial use of courthouse arrests under the Trump administration. The arrests came after a hearing in a local criminal case, catching both defense attorneys and court officials off guard.
Surprise Arrest Raises Legal Concerns
This Article Includes
- 1 Surprise Arrest Raises Legal Concerns
- 2 Related posts
- 3 1,155 pounds of cocaine seized, 3 Dominicans arrested in Puerto Rico
- 4 Man found dead in possible overdose, Laredo Police say
- 5 Legal Community, Judges Voice Alarm
- 6 District Attorney Responds
- 7 ICE Tactics Under Renewed Scrutiny
- 8 A Community on Edge
Adriana Bernal, 37, was taken into custody by ICE agents after attending a hearing at the Airport Courthouse on La Cienega Boulevard. According to Jennifer Cheng, spokesperson for the L.A. County Alternate Public Defender’s Office, ICE agents—dressed in black and not visibly identified—waited in a third-floor courtroom before following Bernal outside, where they handcuffed her and placed her in a dark SUV.
“We were absolutely blindsided by what happened,” Cheng wrote in an email. “These purported ICE agents detained our client without notice or explanation. We received no advance communication, no opportunity to advise our client, and no information.”
Video of the arrest shows bystanders reacting in shock as the scene unfolded.
Legal Community, Judges Voice Alarm
Critics say courthouse arrests chill public participation in the legal system. L.A. County Presiding Judge Sergio C. Tapia II said the courts received no advance notice of Tuesday’s operation, adding that ICE has not previously conducted enforcement actions inside L.A. courthouses this year.
“These actions create a chilling effect, silencing victims, deterring witnesses, and discouraging community members from participating in legal proceedings critical to the rule of law,” Tapia said in a statement.
Bernal was scheduled for an early disposition hearing in a case involving charges of organized retail theft, grand theft, and possession of burglary tools. According to two anonymous sources, another co-defendant in the case was also detained by ICE agents.
District Attorney Responds
L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman denied any involvement from his office, stating he had no prior knowledge of the ICE operation and would not notify immigration officials about defendants’ legal status.
“As a general proposition, I don’t want anyone deported until I’ve got them sentenced,” Hochman said. “If the sentence is jail or state prison, I want them to serve it.”
Hochman described the defendants as part of a broader South American retail theft ring but maintained that immigration enforcement should not interfere with the criminal justice process.
ICE Tactics Under Renewed Scrutiny
Under former President Trump’s renewed immigration agenda, ICE has resumed arrests at courthouses, a practice widely condemned during his first term. A 2011 Obama-era policy that designated schools, hospitals, and courthouses as “sensitive locations” was revoked early in Trump’s first presidency.
Though ICE claims courthouses provide safe environments for making arrests due to security screenings, critics argue these tactics punish people for simply participating in the legal process.
A recent Los Angeles Times study showed that 69% of people detained during the initial wave of California immigration raids this year had no criminal record.
A Community on Edge
Cheng called Tuesday’s courthouse arrests a dangerous escalation.
“When there is widespread fear that ICE is going to snatch you if you go to court—whether you’re a defendant, a victim, or a witness—people will stop going,” she warned.
As immigration enforcement intensifies across Southern California, legal advocates and public defenders say the arrests risk undermining justice, public safety, and trust in the court system.
