Three men arrested at Sacramento’s immigration court, following national trend
Three people were handcuffed and taken into custody by federal authorities Tuesday at Sacramento Immigration Court downtown, according to a volunteer attorney who witnessed the arrests.
Jessie De Haven, who regularly provides free legal advice to immigrants at the court, said the arrests happened after the men appeared before Immigration Judge Vikram Badrinath. A fourth man, who was there with a young child and partner, was briefly handcuffed before being released, the lawyer said.
“If they can just arrest people coming out of court that still have proceedings going on, they can just arrest anyone they want,” she said. “That, to me, is the scariest part.”
The detentions come as President Donald Trump has vowed to ramp up deportations since taking office and follow recent reports about federal authorities taking people into custody at immigration courts across the country. Beyond that, the Trump administration has rescinded guidance that told agents to avoid making arrests at places of worship and has taken people into custody for showing up to immigration appointments.
Advocates were already planning a news conference Wednesday morning outside of Sacramento Immigration Court, near the state Capitol, to criticize the practice. In a news release, the groups said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had also arrested people at courts in Concord and San Francisco.
ICE spokespeople did not respond to emails requesting comment.
De Haven said she, and other volunteers, were at the court to provide free legal aid to immigrants on their cases. She said the men who were detained are from Venezuela and Haiti.
The lawyer said she did not know if they had any criminal history but added it was unlikely since they had been allowed to continue their asylum claims out of detention. She said she was told they would be taken to the Golden State Annex, a detention center near Bakersfield. She declined to provide their names.
Kevin Johnson, a professor and the former dean of UC Davis’ School of Law, said arrests like the ones seen Tuesday create a challenge for immigrants: Do they show up to their hearings or avoid them due to a fear of being detained? Not showing up could lead a judge to order their removal.
“It’s all part of a climate of fear that immigrants are caught up in,” he said.
This story was originally published May 27, 2025 at 8:29 PM with the headline "Three men arrested at Sacramento’s immigration court, following national trend."
