A district attorney from Massachusetts is contemplating bringing criminal charges against an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent. This agent was found in contempt of court for apprehending an undocumented immigrant during a criminal trial last month.
Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s statement could escalate tensions with the Trump administration. The administration has alleged that Massachusetts authorities are impeding their efforts to deport criminal undocumented immigrants on a large scale.
“ICE frequently asserts that their actions are enhancing public safety in Boston. Today, I want to state that, in reality, their actions are having the opposite effect,” expressed Hayden at a press briefing. “I want to emphasize that ICE’s removal of this defendant constituted an inappropriate and unprofessional intrusion on the defendant’s right to a fair trial.”
Hayden’s criticism came after ICE agent Brian Sullivan detained Wilson Martell-Lebron, a Dominican citizen, as Martell-Lebron was leaving a Boston court March 27. His trial had just begun with opening statements and the first witnesses.
Boston Municipal Court Judge Mark Summerville dismissed the case against a Dominican man and held an ICE agent in contempt of court Monday. (AP)
“This is a disturbing case,” Summerville said. “It’s a case of obstruction of justice. It’s a case of violating the defendant’s right to be present at trial and confront witnesses against him. Couldn’t be more serious.”
Martell-Lebron was taken into custody after the second day of his trial on charges he allegedly provided false information on a driver’s license application.
Summerville criticized the DA’s office and ordered prosecutors to investigate Sullivan. He eventually dismissed the case against Martell-Lebron after ICE failed to hand him over to local authorities, Hayden said.
Hayden and other Boston-area officials have claimed that ICE apprehending criminal illegal immigrants hasn’t made the community safer.
However, ICE has touted the arrest of dozens of illegal immigrants charged with raping children and other violent crimes and drug trafficking.
Fox News Digital has reached out to ICE, the White House and the Department of Homeland Security.
