State courthouses not safe from ICE arrests

Immigration arrests at federal courthouses have taken up most of the national attention since Donald Trump became president, but across California, U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement agents are showing up at state courts and arresting undocumented immigrants, CalMatters Nigel Duara reports. 

It happened this summer in Fresno: A judge reportedly congratulated a man for completing a one-year court-ordered program following a domestic violence conviction last year. ICE agents were waiting outside the courthouse and arrested him. He’s since been deported to Mexico, his sister told Duara.

The man’s story isn’t unique. ICE agents have arrested at least two dozen other people at state courts in Stanislaus, Glenn, Los Angeles and Fresno counties. 

This summer in Butte County, immigration enforcement agents conducted an operation inside the county’s Oroville courthouse. That’s a violation of a 2019 California law that forbids civil arrests “in a courthouse while attending a court proceeding or having legal business in the courthouse.”

Butte County’s court administrator is troubled by the courthouse arrests, since they discourage people fearful of being deported from attending routine court proceedings. 

• Sharif Elmallah, Butte County Superior Court executive officer, in a statement: “The court is concerned by the potential chilling effect and other potential adverse impacts on participation in the legal system that may occur due to these enforcement actions being conducted in and around courthouses.”

Those who miss a mandatory court appearance in a criminal case can face additional charges. 

But much like the package of bills Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Saturday meant to keep immigration enforcement agents out of schools and hospitals, it’s unclear what California law enforcement can actually do to enforce the law keeping agents out of courthouses. 

An ICE spokesperson says agents have every right to arrest “a lawbreaker where you find them.” 

Read more here.

Colleges and universities across California are about to feel the consequences of steep federal cuts to diversity programs, CalMatters’ Adam Echelman reports. 

The cuts come after the U.S. Department of Education said earlier this month that it was ending a grant program that supports “minority-serving institutions,” claiming that it illegally favors certain racial or ethnic groups.

That’s going to mean California schools will lose access to higher-education funding for tutoring, academic counseling and other support services aimed at helping Black, Latino, Asian and Native American students.

• David Lee, who will soon lose his job as the director of the Asian Pacific American Student Success center at Oakland’s Laney College: “It’s like a gut punch.” 

Read more here.

At least one attorney found out the hard way that judges aren’t too fond of attorneys using ChatGPT and other generative artificial intelligence models to write documents they submit to the court, CalMatters’ Khari Johnson reports.

California attorney Amir Mostafavi must pay a $10,000 fine for filing a state court appeal full of fake ChatGPT-generated quotes. 

• Mostafavi: “I hope this example will help others not fall into the hole. I’m paying the price.”

Meanwhile, the state’s Judicial Council has issued guidelines requiring judges and court staff to either ban generative AI or adopt a generative AI use policy by Dec. 15. At the same time, the California Bar Association is considering whether to strengthen its AI code of conduct.

Read more here.