A high school student interning at the Rhode Island Superior Court was briefly detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents at a Providence courthouse on Nov. 20 and was released after a Superior Court judge personally intervened.
According to court staff, the incident began when the student noticed someone taking photographs of him inside the courtroom. Courthouse security asked the person to stop, and that person then identified themself as ICE. The intern appeared shaken, and Superior Court Associate Justice Joseph McBurney offered to drive the student back to school.
Video of the encounter shows ICE agents approaching what appears to be Justice McBurney's vehicle, questioning the judge and then restraining the intern by placing his arms behind his back before leading him away from the car. The teen was later released after agents checked his identification; his identity has not been publicly disclosed.
Official responses
The Department of Homeland Security said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin characterized the operation as targeting a suspected child predator and stated that officers "briefly questioned someone who resembled the target. He was never arrested or taken into custody."
“If not for the intervention of a Superior Court judge who insisted that ICE had wrongfully identified his intern as their target, this young person would have been taken into ICE custody,” the Rhode Island Judiciary said in a press release. “When the ICE agents verified their information, they confirmed that the intern was not the person they were looking for, and he was released.”
Rhode Island Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul A. Suttell called the episode "egregious," saying it highlights community and Judiciary concerns about how ICE conducts operations in the state. He urged expanding remote hearings in Providence County and beyond to protect access to justice amid current tensions.
Governor Dan McKee described the detention as "an outrageous and indefensible act that could have completely upended a young person's life," and said Rhode Islanders should not have to fear federal agents operating with "reckless disregard for the law and human dignity."
The incident has renewed calls for clearer protocols and increased safeguards at courthouses to prevent mistaken detentions, preserve public trust in the justice system, and ensure safe participation in court-run educational programs.
