Being detained by ICE agents is already horrible enough; however, things can become even worse if you are unable to meet with an attorney who could help you with your case. Such an incident recently happened in Portland, Oregon. In a video shared online, a woman can be seen talking with ICE agents at a detention center. The attorney was looking up as she spoke to a group of ICE agents who were standing on the roof like gargoyles. She told them that she needed access to speak with her client who was detained inside the facility. A protester nearby came to assist her, offering the attorney his megaphone so she could make herself heard.
The attorney and the ICE agents went back and forth for some time before one agent finally came down to speak with her directly. It is unclear what the two were discussing, though the video shows the ICE agent repeatedly shaking his head, seemingly unwilling to let her in.
She was not the only one struggling to meet with her detained clients in Portland. Other attorneys have also reported experiencing similar problems. They even filed a lawsuit against the government, accusing it of violating constitutional rights. In their legal complaint, the attorneys noted that at least twenty incidents of this kind have occurred since June. There were also reports of ICE agents allegedly tricking attorneys into waiting in the lobby or reception area while secretly transferring their clients to another state without warning.
Currently, these attorneys are demanding that ICE agents stop preventing them from speaking with their clients. Many internet users who saw the video were outraged, expressing anger at what they viewed as a blatant violation of constitutional rights. “It just keeps getting more and more insane with the illegality of it all,” one user wrote.
Some questioned why the Portland attorney in the video went to the facility at night, saying that it was outside of regular working hours and that she should have come back on Monday. However, others pointed out that if she had waited until Monday, her client would likely have already been moved, since the facility is not allowed to hold people for more than twenty-four hours. For that reason, they argued, the attorney had no choice but to come during the night.
“She’s there Friday evening, and they’re telling her to come back Monday? Why? What makes them think they get to hold people for another three days without counsel?” another user commented. Others lamented the current state of America and the increasing lawlessness that many ICE agents appear to display.
