Video shows what an advocacy group believes are several immigration arrests outside an immigration court in Sterling, Virginia, on Thursday.
The video shows law enforcement detaining about seven people, with some in chains and others in handcuffs. They were taken away in unmarked vehicles.
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WATCH HEREThe group New Virginia Majority said someone tipped them off anonymously about the arrests and they rushed to the courthouse on Ridgetop Circle near Dulles Town Center on Thursday morning to document what happened.
Sofia Saiyed, a campaign coordinator with the group, called the arrests disturbing.
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SIGN UP “It’s troubling because – and we don’t know what happened inside because we weren’t inside here – but we’re heard in some cases what’s happening is that ICE is requesting the judge to dismiss the case, kind of denying people due process, and detaining them immediately,” she said.
New Virginia Majority describes itself as a civic engagement organization that fights for racial and economic justice. The group said it has seen similar law enforcement operations near other immigration courts in Virginia and across the U.S.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not respond to an inquiry about the video, confirm the agency’s involvement or release the name or criminal backgrounds of anyone who was detained. Officials at the Sterling Immigration Court did not immediately respond to an inquiry.
