ICE agents detain people outside Virginia immigration court, strong-arm activists filming

Editor's Note (June 12, 2025, 7 a.m. ET): ICE said in an update that they detained 10 men in Sterling.

Agents with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement detained as many as 10 men outside an immigration court in Sterling, Virginia, Wednesday.

News4 witnessed eight men being taken out of the court in handcuffs and shackles and then loaded into a van. Activists with New Virginia Majority say three others already were detained before News4 arrived.

ICE agents on the scene did not say why the men were detained or where they were taking them.

As the operation got underway on Wednesday morning, activists recorded video that shows an ICE agent grabbing one of its members and knocking a phone out of the hands of another.

The operation took several hours.

All but one of the ICE agents were wearing masks as they escorted the men in handcuffs and shackles out the side door of the building, loading them into white vans.

The people driving the vans wore vests with the word "corrections" emblazoned across the chest.

New Virginia Majority, which describes itself as a civic engagement organization that fights for racial justice, says this is one of ICE's new tactics.

“We understand that court cases are being dismissed by the ICE prosecutors inside and people are being told they have the ability to appeal," said Sofia Saiyed, one of the activists at the scene. "And then telling the judge they want to appeal, and as they walk out of the courtroom, they are being detained in the hallway."

@nbcwashington

In Northern Virginia and across the United States, the Trump administration appears to be using a new tactic to ramp up deportations. Inside immigration court, government lawyers are terminating cases. Then, when people step outside, they are arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), headed for immediate deportation. On Thursday, May 29, outside the immigration court in Sterling, video shows several men who showed up for their hearings being taken into custody. Matthew Noonan documented the arrests in the parking lot for a local advocacy group, New Virginia Majority. "A lot of people, including myself, believe this is just arbitrary and cruel, what we are witnessing," Noonan said. He said the men making the arrest were ICE agents, many in plainclothes. It's unknown whether arrests also were made at the immigration court in Annandale, but similar scene unfolded in Miami on the same day. 🔗 Read more at the link in bio. #immigration #ICE #lamigra #trumpadministration #immigrants #deportations #virginia #northernvirginia #nova #va #maryland #md #washingtondc #dc

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In a story News4 aired on June 3, immigration attorney Ofelia Calderon said other immigration attorneys have told her that's exactly what's happening. The cases are being dropped and the people detained.

"What we are seeing here is families being torn apart and a breakdown of due process," Saiyed said.

Robin, another activist with New Virginia Majority, told News4 she was just videotaping what the ICE agents were doing outside the Sterling immigration court.

She said she was not getting in an agent's way. The ICE agent declined to comment or give his name.

"You can record as much as you want, as long as you are not interfering," the ICE agent says to Robin in the video.

"I am not interfering, sir," Robin replies in the video.

The video then shows the agent knocking a phone out of the hands of the activist filming Robin's interaction.

"I had stopped recording, as I said, and then he yanked my arm for some reason, angrily, and was basically not happy that I was there," Robin said.

News4 spoke with the agent on the scene, but he declined to tell his side of the story.

Another agent, who identified himself as a spokesman for ICE, would not comment on the scene and instead asked News4 to send him an email with questions. We did. As of this report, we're still waiting for a response.

News4 also reached out to the immigration court for comment. As of 7:45 p.m. Wednesday, we have not received a response.