Overview
- The Rhode Island Judiciary said ICE agents detained a teenage Superior Court intern by mistake outside the Licht Judicial Complex and released him after verifying his identity.
- Superior Court Judge Joseph McBurney intervened on scene, and court officials said the intern likely would have been taken into federal custody without his actions.
- Sheriffs earlier confronted individuals taking photos of the teen inside the courthouse who identified themselves as ICE agents and were told to follow courthouse rules, according to WPRI.
- Witness accounts reported by Boston.com describe agents surrounding the judge’s car, threatening to break its windows, and briefly handcuffing the teen as immigration advocates recorded the confrontation.
- Chief Justice Paul A. Suttell called the incident egregious and urged broader virtual access to proceedings, Governor Dan McKee labeled it outrageous and tied it to President Trump’s policies, and ICE did not respond to requests for comment.