More than a hundred people gathered outside the Albemarle County Courthouse to protest the apparent immigration arrest of a man who had just been cleared of a misdemeanor assault charge.
A video shared online showed him being picked-up by three men who were not in uniform – one of them wearing a ski mask. A bystander tried to stop them and was threatened.
“Do not touch me or impede me in my lawful duties!" said one of the men. "It’s a crime for you to do so!"
"Do you have a warrant for his arrest?" the bystander asked.
"Get off me, or I am and calling the U.S. Attorney and prosecuting you for assault on a federal officer! Back up!” he replied.
The incident has alarmed lawyers like Nick Repucci, a public defender who says someone could have been hurt.
“Did the sheriff’s department require these people to identify themselves? Did they know this was going to take place beforehand?" he wondered. "If this continues in our community and across the country something terrible is going to happen.”
And he predicted this incident would make it more difficult for police and attorneys to investigate and prosecute crimes.
"Witnesses to events who have relevant information are going to be much less likely to cooperate with investigations, much less willing to come to court and say what happened," he explained.
Protesters like Ilene Stephens blamed Governor Youngkin and called on Virginia’s senators to step in.
"They just pulled this man away and threw him in an unmarked van!" she recalled. "He may be in El Salvador tomorrow. What do we know and what can we do? I’m so angry!"
Albemarle County sheriff Chan Bryant later told the Daily Progress that the agents did show identification and warrant information to courthouse security before coming inside.
The Albemarle County prosecutor says he’s investigating the arrests at the courthouse. In a statement later Wednesday, Jim Hingeley said he's greatly concerned that arrests carried out in this way could escalate into violent confrontations. He said those being picked up or bystanders might resist what appears on its face to be an unlawful assault and abduction.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
