Cook County Circuit Chief Judge Timothy Evans has issued an administrative decree that effectively bars ICE and Border Patrol agents from making civil immigration arrests at or near county courthouses, even as aliens appear for hearings.
The edict, signed late Tuesday night and going into effect Wednesday, proclaims that “no person attending or returning from a court proceeding shall be subject to a civil arrest” unless there is a judicial warrant or order.
The order explicitly limits it to civil immigration arrests. The order also includes the walkways, entryways, driveways, and parking lots contiguous to courthouses. “The fair administration of justice requires that courts remain open and accessible, and that litigants and witnesses may appear without fear of civil arrest,” the order states.