Following the recent arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement of two people attending proceedings in New Jersey courts, Chief Justice Stuart Rabner has asked the agency to declare courthouses off-limits for future arrests.
Courts must be viewed as a “safe forum,” to ensure effectiveness of the justice system, Rabner said in an April 19 letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly. In his letter, the chief justice asked for courthouses to be added to a list of locations that ICE and customs enforcement have declared off-limits for arrests, along with schools, hospitals, houses of worship and public demonstrations.
