U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested four people Monday at the Douglas County Courthouse in downtown Omaha.
All four people detained were attending court appearances. Three faced charges of driving under the influence, Douglas County Sheriff Aaron Hanson said.
One of the men detained was awaiting his court appearance when ICE agents approached and arrested him, according to the man’s attorney, Robert Larsen.
“It was fairly shocking,” Larsen said. “I had never seen this happen before. I mean, it was in the back of my mind, wondering if something like this would ever happen in Douglas County.”
Larsen searched his client’s name in the federal ICE detainee database later on Monday, and saw the man was in McCook, the location of an ICE detention center.
“We didn't even get to have his hearing for the thing he was there for. They literally took him when I was not looking,” the attorney said.
Sheriff Hanson said another individual was detained by ICE at the courthouse last week. He said the county deputies aren’t directly involved in immigration enforcement, but are at the courthouse for security functions.
Hundreds of people lined one of Omaha’s busiest intersections Sunday to protest ICE patrols.
