Overview

• On Oct. 1, Public Defender Sharone Mitchell Jr. joined 13 legal and social-service groups in filing a petition asking Chief Judge Tim Evans to prohibit civil immigration arrests without a judicial warrant in or around county courthouses.
• The filing argues courts are protected by a common-law privilege against arrests and says the chief judge can issue a general order under his administrative authority.
• Advocates report weekly sightings of federal agents at multiple locations, including the Domestic Violence Courthouse, the Daley Center, the Leighton Criminal Court Building, and 111th Street branch courts, which they say discourages attendance by victims, defendants, and witnesses.
• One account describes a person with an assault rifle in a car outside Domestic Violence court that triggered a 911 call, and service providers say abusers and landlords are using deportation threats to intimidate people.
• Evans has not commented as ICE activity continues under the administration’s Operation Midway Blitz, and leadership of the Circuit Court is scheduled to pass to Judge Charles Beach on Dec. 1.