Immigrants are being swept up and arrested in public spaces as enforcement efforts ramp up across the country, including in Virginia.
Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (D-VA-04) believes that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, as well as the Department of Homeland Security, are to blame for eroding the public’s trust due to aggressive tactics.
Today, McClellan visited the Chesterfield County Courthouse and met with local officials, attorneys and advocates to listen to their concerns about recent ICE activity at the courthouse. Last month, ICE detained more than a dozen individuals at the Chesterfield courthouse.
“No one should be afraid to show up in court — whether to work, testify, seek justice, get a marriage license or fulfill a civic obligation,” said McClellan.“We must preserve and restore confidence in our public institutions, and we cannot turn a blind eye to our neighbors getting swept up in the unlawful and opaque enforcement actions by this administration.
“ICE’s reckless enforcement tactics don’t just harm undocumented individuals — they also put American citizens and legal residents at risk,” she said.
“Entire communities now live in fear that they could be picked up off the street, in a place of worship, at school or in a courthouse — without any due process.”
McClellan is requesting more oversight and transparency for customs enforcement.
The congresswoman sent a letter to DHS earlier this month, raising alarm over ICE’s presence at the courthouse and demanding answers from the agency.
McClellan recently introduced H.R. 4703, the DHS Wrongful Detention and Deportation Accountability Act, which would require DHS to track and report all instances in which a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident is detained or deported. The legislation also mandates a standardized process for individuals in DHS custody to prove their citizenship or immigration status.
Video: McClellan at the Chesterfield County Courthouse
In its aggressive and dehumanizing immigration crackdown, the Trump Administration has wrongfully detained or deported lawful permanent residents and U.S. citizens — but we don’t know how many.
Amidst ongoing ICE raids in VA-04, I visited the Chesterfield County Courthouse today… pic.twitter.com/ZyDFaOBGio
— Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (@RepMcClellan) July 28, 2025
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- Plain clothes, masks, unmarked vehicles: ICE agents target immigrants in Virginia
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Crystal Graham
