Overview
- Superior Court Judge Joseph McBurney intervened after agents surrounded his car while he drove the teen, who was briefly handcuffed and released once his identity was verified.
- Video recorded by the Deportation Defense Network shows multiple federal agents at the judge’s vehicle and protesters shouting as the intern was freed.
- A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said agents were searching for a child predator and briefly questioned someone who resembled the target without making an arrest.
- Court sheriffs earlier confronted a person photographing the teen inside the courthouse who identified himself as an ICE agent and was told to stop under courthouse rules.
- Chief Justice Paul A. Suttell and Governor Dan McKee condemned the conduct and cited it as further reason to broaden access to remote court proceedings in Rhode Island.