An appeal to ICE

California Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye has a message for Immigration and Customs Enforcement: Stay out of my courtroom.

“I am deeply concerned about reports from some of our trial courts that immigration agents appear to be stalking undocumented immigrants in our courthouses to make arrests,” Cantil-Sakauye wrote in a March 16 letter.

The letter, addressed to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, continues: “Enforcement policies that include stalking courthouses and arresting undocumented immigrants, the vast majority of whom pose no risk to public safety, are neither safe nor fair.”

Cantil-Sakauye did not refer to a specific incident. However, on Feb. 21, ICE agents arrested a Mexican national at the Pasadena courthouse.

Local lawyers said such an arrest was unusual, which it was.

Officially, ICE claims that courthouse arrests are a last resort for ICE agents after all other options have been exhausted. Perhaps that was the case in this particular instance — but in today’s climate, the arrest set off alarm bells all over the state.

Cantil-Sakauye noted that the vast majority of undocumented immigrants pose no risk to public safety, and she’s right.

Time and again, studies have shown that undocumented immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than U.S.-born citizens.

But what’s even more relevant is Cantil-Sakauye’s larger point: Our courtrooms are inappropriate venues for ICE arrests.

They are venues for residents, including the most vulnerable, to seek justice or to defend themselves against crimes. They have the right to safety during these arduous undertakings.

Plus, undocumented immigrants who fear that the courthouse has become another place for an ICE stakeout will avoid courthouses and local law enforcement altogether. This avoidance can only compromise safety for all of us.