ICE Agents Detain Migrants Outside Phoenix Courthouse

PHOENIX, AZ — The issue of immigration has taken center stage in Phoenix following a series of detentions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents outside the downtown immigration court over multiple days in May 2025. The arrests, which targeted individuals attending routine civil immigration hearings, have ignited protests, raised concerns among advocates, and prompted Arizona lawmakers to demand answers from federal authorities.

According to eyewitness accounts and local news reports, ICE agents were stationed outside the Phoenix Immigration Court near 7th Avenue and Van Buren Street, detaining migrants as they exited the building after their hearings. On May 21 and 22, more than a dozen individuals were handcuffed and placed into vans, with some reportedly having their cases dismissed, leaving them vulnerable to immediate deportation. A video shared by Arizona’s Family captured tense scenes, including a confrontation between protesters and federal agents, with one demonstrator chanting, “No justice. No peace. No ICE or police,” in opposition to the arrests.

Immigrant rights groups, such as Poder In Action and Mi Familia Vota, condemned the actions, describing them as a heartbreaking blow to families complying with legal processes. Miros Mejia of Poder In Action told AZFamily, “Our community members are being kidnapped,” highlighting the emotional toll, including a mother left uncertain of her detained husband’s whereabouts. Monica Sandschafer, Arizona state director for Mi Familia Vota, noted, “We witnessed parents and children being detained and abducted into unmarked vans immediately after attending their scheduled immigration proceedings,” calling for an end to such tactics.

Valley immigration attorney Sheree Wright explained to AZFamily that a legal loophole allows ICE to detain individuals once their cases are dismissed, stripping them of temporary protected status. “It just feels like this administration is coming up with new tactics to attack the community and separate families,” Mejia added. The detentions follow interim ICE guidance issued earlier in 2025, allowing agents to conduct enforcement actions near courthouses based on credible information, a shift tied to the Trump administration’s push for expedited removals of migrants in the U.S. for less than two years.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) defended the actions, with a senior spokesperson stating to AZFamily, “ICE is now following the law and placing these illegal aliens in expedited removal, as they always should have been.” The spokesperson added that those with valid credible fear claims would continue in immigration proceedings, while others face swift deportation.

Protests erupted in response, with demonstrators lining the courthouse entrance, holding signs like “Deport fascists, not families” and distributing literature on migrants’ rights. However, tensions escalated when a property manager restricted protesters to a public sidewalk, roping off areas near the court, and Phoenix police later dispersed a group for trespassing.

Arizona’s Democratic congressional delegation, including Senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego and Representatives Yassamin Ansari and Greg Stanton, sent a letter to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons on May 28, demanding clarity on the number of arrests, the guidance driving these actions, and compliance with screening for fear of persecution. They argued that targeting compliant, non-criminal migrants undermines fairness and public safety.

A former Phoenix-based ICE agent, speaking anonymously to AZFamily, claimed such courthouse arrests are not new and can be safer due to screening processes, but the scale and visibility of these operations have alarmed the community. Immigration attorney Isaac Ortega, representing a Venezuelan asylum-seeker detained outside the court, told FOX 10 Phoenix, “It feels like it’s a little sneaky,” noting his client followed proper entry procedures via the CBP app but was detained post-dismissal without a chance to appeal.

The arrests in Phoenix mirror a broader pattern, with similar ICE operations reported at immigration courts in Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, Chicago, and Texas, stirring panic among advocates who fear migrants may avoid hearings, risking default deportation orders. As the Trump administration ramps up its deportation agenda, the debate over due process and immigration enforcement intensifies, leaving Phoenix and the nation grappling with what comes next.

17GEN4.com

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