Immigration Agents Detain Three Men Outside San Bernardino County Courthouse

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol detained three men outside the San Bernardino County Superior Court in Rancho Cucamonga on Thursday. m. and continued until about noon. Witnesses reported seeing agents surround and handcuff individuals as they left the building.

m. and placing him in an SUV. The Department of Homeland Security stated that the operations were targeted and resulted in the arrest of three people. Two of the detained individuals were from Colombia, and one was from Mexico.

the Detained Individuals One of the men detained entered the United States on a tourist visa and overstayed.

Court records show he faces felony assault charges.

Another individual from Colombia was arrested on suspicion of battery, though no criminal charges have been filed in San Bernardino County.

An immigration judge ordered his removal after he failed to appear for a hearing. Another individual from Colombia entered the United States and did not attend a scheduled hearing, leading to a removal order by an immigration judge. It is unclear why he was at the courthouse on Thursday, and he faces no criminal charges in San Bernardino County.

The Department of Homeland Security noted in an email that state and local law enforcement cooperation could reduce the need for such operations. The agency stated that non-cooperation by elected officials wastes resources and endangers constituents.

The Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice reported at least 33 detentions at or near the Rancho Cucamonga courthouse since October.

Similar arrests have occurred outside courthouses in San Bernardino and Riverside counties in recent months. California law prohibits civil immigration arrests inside courthouses but allows them outside and in parking lots. In January 2025, ICE issued interim guidance permitting civil enforcement actions in or near courthouses when agents have credible information about a targeted individual's presence, provided local laws do not preclude it.

The detentions have raised questions about access to courthouses for individuals with immigration cases. An executive director of the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice stated that the actions interfere with due process.

She noted that the arrests target people with prior law enforcement encounters before their cases are resolved.

“We see this as a violation of their due process," the executive director said. "It's not like ICE is arresting them based off immigration violations. They're trying to target people who have had some type of encounter with law enforcement. But, in America, we have due process which means you're innocent until proven guilty. But in these cases people don't have the opportunity to end their case or close it out.”