DOJ discussed charging Minnesota judges, lawyers who considered helping migrants avoid ICE

Amid renewed efforts to halt illegal immigration, the U.S. Department of Justice considered charging Minnesota judges and lawyers who had discussed requesting virtual court hearings to avoid the potential of migrants being arrested in the courtroom, a new Reuters report revealed.

According to Reuters, the deliberations began in February when Minneapolis FBI agents opened a preliminary inquiry into whether the judges and defense attorneys had blocked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities by requesting or allowing hearings on Zoom. Other law enforcement officials in Washington, D.C., and Minneapolis also were consulted about the possibility of charging the judges and attorneys.

Reuters found that the defense attorneys had thought that by requesting virtual hearings, the possibility of their migrant clients being arrested by ICE agents during in-person hearings would be reduced. In an email chat, one defense attorney said that judges in Minnesota’s Third Judicial District had already told public defenders and prosecutors to exclusively request Zoom hearings when taking immigration cases. The judges also promised that the requests would be “liberally” granted.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, virtual court hearings have become more normalized, especially in certain states, including Minnesota, Reuters noted.

The outlet reported that it is not clear whether the initial probe into the judges and attorneys is ongoing, while no one has yet been charged. In a separate case, the DOJ charged Hannah Dugan, a Milwaukee judge, after she helped an illegal immigrant and his attorney escape ICE agents during his court hearing. 

Reuters’ full report on the probe is available here.

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