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Dozens of Maine Lawyers Condemn ICE Arrest at Courthouse

PORTLAND, Maine - Maine's judicial branch is looking into reports that court officers were clapping as a Somali asylum seeker was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents last Thursday.

Judicial branch spokeswoman Mary Ann Lynch says it's an ongoing personnel matter, so she can't comment on what happened, and how the branch might respond.

"If that kind of conduct occurred, it is clearly not appropriate," Lynch says. "We expect that all employees will treat everyone who comes to Maine courts with respect."

Meanwhile, dozens of attorneys in Maine are sending a letter to federal officials urging them to end the practice of arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at courthouses in the wake of the detention of an asylum seeker in Portland.
 
The American Civil Liberties Union of Maine says 179 attorneys are sending the letter on Mondayto U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly.

It says such arrests at courthouses "undermine the fundamental constitutional guarantee'' of the right to seek redress from the court system.

Lynch says the detention of Abdi Ali was the first of this type in Maine, since the beginning of the Trump presidency. "This is a first for us, but the chief justice and court leadership is looking at the policy implications."

A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman told the Associated Press that Ali had an "extensive'' misdemeanor criminal history including two assault convictions. Defense lawyer Tina Nadeau said her client, who's from Somalia, appeared in court on a drunken-driving charge.
 
Nadeau says as the initial appearance wrapped up, three men identifying themselves as ICE agents entered the room. The Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project says OUI is not usually considered a serious enough offense to deport someone.

Nora is originally from the Boston area but has lived in Chicago, Michigan, New York City and at the northern tip of New York state. Nora began working in public radio at Michigan Radio in Ann Arbor and has been an on-air host, a reporter, a digital editor, a producer, and, when they let her, played records.