SAN ANTONIO (NewsNation) — The Trump administration is increasing its immigration enforcement with a new focus on arresting migrants at courthouses immediately after their immigration hearings.
In recent weeks, federal agents have been seen detaining people moments after judges issue rulings in immigration cases.
The tactic is part of a push to increase deportations and send a strong message to migrant communities across the country.
This aggressive approach is being carried out at courthouses in several cities and states, including Texas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, New York, Seattle and Chicago, The Associated Press reported.
Migrant pleads for help before being taken into custody
In San Antonio, NewsNation cameras captured video of plainclothes federal agents arresting a visibly distraught woman outside a courthouse. Through tears, she could be heard saying, “ayúdame” (“help me”) before being escorted onto a white charter bus.
Similar scenes are unfolding elsewhere.
In Phoenix, agents were seen taking people into custody, according to KNXV-TV. In San Diego, federal agents waited in courthouse hallways for people exiting their hearings, KFMB-TV reported.
Attorney: Fast-tracking aimed at reducing court backlogs under Biden
This is a new deportation push that comes on the heels of the Trump administration removing two senior immigration officials, Kenneth Genalo and Robert Hammer, as the White House seeks to increase arrests and deportations of migrants who entered the country illegally.
In a statement to NewsNation, ICE said Secretary Kristi Noem is reversing the Biden administration’s “Catch and Release” policy, which they claim allowed millions of migrants into the U.S. with minimal screening.
In a statement to NewsNation, ICE said, “Most aliens who illegally entered the United States within the past two years are subject to expedited removals. Biden ignored this legal fact and chose to release millions of illegal aliens, including violent criminals, into the country with a notice to appear before an immigration judge. ICE is now following the law and placing these illegal aliens in expedited removal, as they always should have been.”
ICE added that migrants with valid claims of credible fear will remain in immigration proceedings. However, those without such claims are subject to deportation.
Immigration attorney Rolando Vazquez told NewsNation the new tactic is a way for the administration to speed up deportations.
Under the Biden administration, some migrants were not scheduled for hearings until as late as 2030. The Trump administration’s approach, Vazquez said, seeks to bypass such delays and fast-track removals.