ICE detains undocumented immigrant at Smith County courthouse

SMITH COUNTY – An undocumented immigrant was taken into ICE custody just minutes before accepting a plea deal at the Smith County courthouse, according to a report from our news partner KETK.

In response, a Hispanic association is urging immigrants to be aware of their rights and search for options to stay in the country legally.

According to the immigrant’s attorney, two individuals dressed as civilians were seated in the courthouse when the client accepted the plea deal. Shortly after these two individuals approached them, they detained the defendant and took him into ICE custody before transporting him to the Dallas area, the attorney said.

In response, the Hispanic American Association of East Texas is urging immigrants with the opportunity to legalize their status to be aware of their rights and know what to do if something similar happens to them.

“It’s something that we did not expect. But now, with the current climate, we should be ready for it, and it’s going to happen,” Gilbert Urbina, Executive Director of the Hispanic-American Association of East Texas, said. “The government has the authority to enforce our laws and the individual has to then prepare for their action. That’s why whatever they can’t control within their family, their affairs, they should do that ahead of time.”

Immigration attorney Belinda Arroyo says anybody who is in the country illegally can face deportation at any time with due process.

“Despite what people think, we do have a lot of protections in this country for immigrants, but they have to know how to assert their rights to those protections and just be informed. Knowledge is power, we know that,” Arroyo said.

For now, the association and attorneys urge all undocumented immigrants to continue searching for a way to be here legally.