In the United States, federal agents apprehended a Venezuelan man who was staying illegally after he attempted to escape their discreet attempt to detain him in an elevator at a New Hampshire courthouse earlier this year.
The man, Arnuel Marquez Colmenarez, 33, was arrested on his way to a court hearing for charges including driving under the influence, driving without a valid license, and leaving the scene after an accident, as reported by The Associated Press through the Nashua Police Department.
On February 20, video footage released by the Nashua Circuit Court depicted Colmenarez passing through courthouse security and entering an elevator accompanied by federal agents and a few other individuals.
As others left the elevator, an agent can be seen touching Colmenarez lightly on the shoulder, then talking to him. The video does not include audio, but Colmenarez can be seen running out of the elevator after a few seconds.
A bench warrant was issued for Colmenarez since he failed to show up for arraignment and the prosecutor over the case was not contacted by federal agents beforehand nor was aware of his arrest, according to The AP.
Colmenarez is being held at an ICE facility in Texas as of Monday, The AP reported after viewing an online database.
Video of the incident, which took place on Feb. 20, was released by the New Hampshire Judicial Branch on Monday. (New Hampshire Judicial Branch via APTN)
His arrest at the courthouse comes after President Donald Trump repealed a 2011 policy that had federal agents typically avoid making arrests at courthouses, schools, places of worship and hospitals.
Current policy allows for immigration arrests “in or near courthouses when they have credible information that leads them to believe the targeted alien(s) is or will be present,” as long as state and local law doesn’t prohibit it.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
