Witnesses say U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were spotted outside of the Domestic Violence Courthouse in Chicago's West Loop on Wednesday, taking at least one person into federal custody ahead of their scheduled court appearance.

The incident comes as the Trump administration has been preparing to launch a major immigration enforcement operation in Chicago by the end of the week.

The courthouse at 555 W. Harrison St. opens at 8:30 a.m. each weekday. One woman, whose name CBS News Chicago is withholding because of the nature of her case, was set to appear in court at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, but didn't make it there.

According to court records, she wasn't in court because she was in ICE custody.

Witnesses said they saw a man, who they believe to be a federal officer, assist in her arrest outside the courthouse about 15 minutes before her scheduled time to appear.

A victim advocate asked why the woman was being arrested, and said an agent told her, "We're going to speak to her about her immigration status" before putting the woman in handcuffs.

CBS News Chicago has learned the woman in this case was an accused abuser, arrested by the Chicago Police Department and charged with two misdemeanor counts of domestic battery.

Court records indicated the charges were dropped on Wednesday.

"Sounds like as soon as we got word, my advocates and a bunch of other advocates and legal aid attorneys came down and started passing out 'know your rights' information," said Tessa Kuipers, program director and policy advisor at Family Rescue.

Victim advocates said the incident has people concerned they'll need to choose between reporting domestic violence and facing ICE when they show up to court.

There have been previous reports about ICE agents showing up to the Chicago Immigration Court, but no such reports of them showing up at Domestic Violence Court until now.

After the arrest, standing in the lobby of the Domestic Violence Courthouse, it was clear others decided not to attend their hearings because they were afraid to face ICE.

"My advocates were calling the survivors that had planned to come to court today, and telling them that ICE is there," Kuipers said.

Kuipers works as a victim advocate at the courthouse. She said she worries the arrest will deter victims of domestic violence from reporting their abusers.

"Just making people, survivors, unsafer. Obviously, survivors are going to know ICE was here. They're going to have hesitancy about seeking protections, about connecting with their advocate and orders of protection and criminal charges that might be a tool for safety for them," Kuipers said.

In a statement, Amanda Pyron, the CEO of The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence, encouraged virtual hearings for the courthouse moving forward.

"These actions will undermine survivors' trust in our legal system to be a resource to them and will discourage survivors from coming forward if they fear immigration will be at their next court hearing and take their loved ones," Pyron said.

Kuipers said she's already seen a downward trend in survivors showing up to court.

"We've been noticing that this past year that survivors from certain communities feel like it's much less likely for them to pursue legal assistance," she said.

Advocates said the fear caused by Wednesday's arrest won't be easily forgotten.

"It keeps people silenced, which domestic violence already inherently does; and then you add a layer of immigration status on top of that? It's silencing people, and it's keeping them in dangerous relationships, and it's making them kind of safety plan what is less dangerous – staying in an abusive relationship or potential deportation," Kuipers said.

There has been a call for support at the courthouse on Thursday morning. Volunteers pledged to show up with "know your rights" information for those attending a hearing.