Downtown Los Angeles saw a legal firestorm erupt Thursday night after immigration agents grabbed a man outside the county courthouse, prompting the county’s top judge to accuse ICE of undermining the justice system and scaring people away from court altogether.
According to The Los Angeles Times, the dramatic detention unfolded just steps from the courthouse entrance. Video shows a man, later identified as 38-year-old Steven Reyes, shouting desperately for help as at least four immigration agents hoisted him by his arms and legs toward an unmarked truck. “Can you get me, please?” Reyes called out, before clearly stating his name to stunned bystanders.
Witnesses can be heard demanding to see a warrant or identification from the agents, but none were shown on camera. The scene, caught by local news crews, has quickly drawn outrage from legal advocates, public defenders, and LA County’s judiciary.
Reyes had reportedly been attending a preliminary hearing on drug charges stemming from an arrest last month. Moments after leaving the courthouse, ICE agents moved in. How and why he was targeted remains unclear — and the agency has yet to answer questions about whether stings outside courthouses are part of a broader enforcement strategy.
For many in the legal community, the location of the arrest was as alarming as the arrest itself. “We’re seeing it on the ground level,” said defense attorney Lou Shapiro, a former public defender. “People are just not showing up to their court date because they’re afraid. They could have finished their case, coming in just to show progress on community service, and instead ended up on a trip to Mexico. Even if they’re trying to do the right thing, they’re scared.”
LAST NIGHT IN D.C.
ICE and its federal partners wasted no time helping D.C. police restore order to the capitol city. pic.twitter.com/OEukKDy8yg
— U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (@ICEgov) August 13, 2025
That fear, according to court officials, could ripple through the entire system. LA County’s presiding justice released a strongly worded statement condemning the incident: “I am deeply disturbed. These intimidating and unnecessary displays undermine public trust in the justice system, deter people from seeking justice, and send a dangerous message to immigrant communities.”
The Alternate Public Defender’s Office, which represents Reyes, went even further, calling the arrest “shocking to the conscience” and describing the agents as “a gang of mostly masked unidentified individuals.” The statement warned that such aggressive tactics “threaten the integrity of the court system and discourage participation.”
https://t.co/3c7b0Ry86A@RealDeanCain pic.twitter.com/DSXycdW6SP
— U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (@ICEgov) August 9, 2025
The LA County District Attorney’s Office also weighed in, saying it had no advance knowledge of the ICE operation and played no part in it. DA Nathan Hawkman’s office warned that the move could interfere with prosecuting cases. “You’re going to see situations where victims feel justice has not been served, that their story is unfinished,” a spokesperson said.
This is at least the second time federal agents have been caught arresting someone outside a Los Angeles courthouse in recent memory, raising concerns that the practice may be more common than the public realizes.
For immigrant communities already on edge, the optics are grim: masked federal agents pulling someone from the courthouse steps sends a clear signal, and not the one court officials want. As one public defender put it, “If people think showing up to court could get them deported, they won’t come at all. And then justice loses for everyone.”
