ICE officers detaining Lehigh County residents sparks fear

ICE officers are detaining and arresting immigrants at the Lehigh County Courthouse, angering local residents. 

Update: This story has been updated to include a statement from the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts.

Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk is calling on Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas President Judge Brian Johnson to change policies that allow Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to operate and detain people inside the Lehigh County Courthouse. 

“ I’ve been made aware of a number of people who have been detained by ICE after a court proceeding they attended in the courthouse, and there’s a climate of fear that is being fanned by allowing that to take place,” Tuerk told The Keystone in an interview. “My concern is that a fear of detention is keeping people from pursuing justice.”

Tuerk sent a letter to Johnson’s office on Thursday, asking the president judge to change the courthouse’s policies so Lehigh County residents are able to attend court hearings without the fear of being arrested by ICE.   

Johnson has the authority to set courthouse procedures as president judge, and determines what access can be granted to the building such as areas next to courtrooms or the tunnel leading from the jail to the courthouse, according to the Allentown Morning Call. 

“Among my worries is that people in Lehigh County are afraid to attend court because of reports that ICE is free to detain people after hearings in the courthouse—substantiated by several incidents in recent weeks,” the letter read.

“This, coupled with ICE’s demonstrated willingness to detain people who are lawfully present in the United States, has the unfortunate effect of preventing Allentown residents from seeking protection or redress through the court.”

Johnson was unable to be reached for comment, but a spokesperson from the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts (APOC) explained how ICE agents are allowed to operate in county courthouses.

“ICE agents, like any state or federal law enforcement agents, are allowed to be present and operate in all public spaces, including public areas of county courthouses. At present, there is no legal basis to prohibit law enforcement from this basic operational principle,” Stacey Witalec, spokesperson for APOC, said in a statement.

“As we have seen in other states, any individual who attempts to thwart ICE from their duties risks being charged with felony obstruction charges.  AOPC’s expectation is that, when law enforcement is present, there will be no disruption to the administration of justice in that courthouse.”

Concerns about ICE operating in the courthouse reached a boiling point this week after residents pointed fingers at the Lehigh County Commissioners for not stopping the agency. 

“People are undeniably being disappeared from county courtrooms and they are not leaving out the front doors,” Commissioner Jon Irons said during Wednesday’s meeting. 

Lehigh Valley News reported that ICE agents were present at the courthouse on Tuesday looking for someone inside the building, but they were prevented from making an arrest after immigration advocates arrived. 

Tuerk explained how a wave of panic and fear is hanging over the Lehigh County’s immigrant community and how having ICE officers inside or around the courthouse isn’t subsiding those fears. 

“ There was a raid that took place in Bethlehem last month that resulted in a wave of panic hitting Allentown, and a lot of people taking video of Lehigh County adult probation officers conducting operations and people falsely suggesting that it was ice just because of fear,” Tuerk said in an interview. 

“ Fear is definitely in the air, and I think that that’s part of what ICE is trying to accomplish, is make people afraid to do things like go to doctors appointments, go to the grocery store, go to school or go to court.”