Employee accused of improperly inviting ICE to Baltimore courthouse no longer at job
A Maryland corrections department employee is no longer at her job after an internal investigation into improperly inviting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to a Baltimore courthouse in June, according to our media partner The Baltimore Banner.
ICE agents were at the Clarence Mitchell Jr. Courthouse and indicated they had an appointment with the employee, who worked on the fourth floor in pretrial services. Sheriff's deputies then saw the agents detain a person in what they later confirmed was a federal immigration action by ICE.
The corrections department told the Banner that while the woman is no longer employed with the agency, it could not comment on "personal matters."
"The courthouse must be a safe space for everyone, and when ICE swoops in and takes a person away, it harms the administration of justice," Baltimore City Sheriff Sam Cogen said in a statement to the Banner. "When litigants, witnesses, victims, and even defendants are ferreted away from state courts before justice has its day, it is bad for everyone regardless of political party because it undermines the rule of law."
In June, the corrections department said that it "did not authorize or coordinate this action" and that the employee involved had been placed on paid administrative leave pending the investigation," according to the Banner.
ICE agents allegedly called to Baltimore courthouse
In July, Sheriff Cogen told WJZ that an unidentified employee with the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services took it upon themselves to call ICE about someone scheduled to come to their office on June 24.
The sheriff said it falls out of line with their department's duties.
"This was sort of like a shocking incident," Cogen said. "We never thought that we would have an employee of another state agency calling for immigration enforcement."
Cogen said an investigation had started into whether criminal charges are appropriate.
"They may have possessed confidential information that was shared that may be outside the scope of their duties," Cogen said.
Sheriff's deputies led the agents to the fourth floor, where the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services holds pre-trial hearings, Cogen said. The hearings are held after a person is arrested to prepare a case before trial in court.
The ICE agents then detained a person, the sheriff said.
"What if they were the victim in a case?" Cogen questioned. "What if they're here trying to establish paternity in a matter, or you've been assaulted and now they're the witness and they're deported and they can't testify. All of it disrupts the administration of justice, and we don't want that kind of action taken in the court facility."
Sheriff's officials later learned the ICE agents were invited to visit the courthouse by a Maryland corrections department worker. The Baltimore City Sheriff's Office then began investigating the worker, Sheriff Cogen said.
"We're the security of the circuit court, so any enforcement actions we need to know about, people who work in the building should not just be calling ICE to come take enforcement actions," Cogen told WJZ.