Judge Holds ICE Agent In Contempt For Detaining Illegal Migrant During Trial
A Boston judge has taken the extraordinary step of holding a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in contempt after federal officers arrested an illegal immigrant defendant during his ongoing trial — an incident critics say reflects the far-left judicial culture that routinely shields unlawful migrants from accountability.
ICE agent Brian Sullivan detained Wilson Martell-Lebron last week as he left the courthouse, but instead of allowing federal immigration law to run its course, a Boston Municipal Court judge ruled that Sullivan had somehow violated the defendant’s due process rights by arresting him while legal proceedings were underway.
“It’s a case of violating a defendant’s right to present at trial and confront witnesses against him,” Judge Mark Summerville declared from the bench. “It couldn’t be more serious.”
Summerville subsequently threw out Martell-Lebron’s charge for allegedly lying on a driver’s license application — a case centered on accusations that he falsely claimed not to be Martell-Lebron. After dismissing the charge, the judge initiated a contempt proceeding against Sullivan, which Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden may now review.
Attorney Ryan Sullivan, representing Martell-Lebron, blasted the ICE operation.
“It’s reprehensible,” he said. “Law enforcement agents have a job to see justice is done. Prosecutors have a job to see justice is done. There is no greater injustice in my mind than the government arresting someone, without identifying themselves, and preventing them from exercising their constitutionally guaranteed right to a jury trial.”
The confrontation comes as federal immigration agents, under the direction of President Donald J. Trump’s administration, are increasingly active in the Boston area seeking out individuals in the country illegally. Boston’s status as a self-declared “sanctuary city” has long hindered federal efforts, with local officials barring police from cooperating with ICE in most circumstances.
President Trump’s border czar Tom Homan — along with many Republicans — has repeatedly criticized Boston for refusing to help remove illegal immigrants who have been charged with violent and serious crimes.
Mayor Michelle Wu, who is up for reelection and remains firmly aligned with the city’s progressive bloc, has said she intends to keep Boston “welcoming” for immigrants and maintain policies that deliberately limit cooperation with federal immigration law, according to the AP.
Defense attorney Sullivan described the tense courthouse moment when ICE agents took action, saying the officers moved in quickly, did not identify themselves, and transported Martell-Lebron into a waiting pickup truck. The trial had only just begun, with opening statements and initial witnesses already underway.
He added that Martell-Lebron — a Dominican Republic national living with relatives in Massachusetts — is now being held at the Plymouth detention facility on allegations of being unlawfully present in the United States.
“What we were challenging is that they arrested him in the middle of his trial and did not return him,” he told the outlet. “If he had been brought to court on Friday morning by ICE, we would not have moved to dismiss. We would not be asking for sanctions. We would have just finished the trial.”
Immigration enforcement became increasingly visible at local courthouses during President Trump’s first term, prompting pushback from left-leaning judges and officials. In his second term, President Trump went further by repealing a 2011 Obama-era restriction that limited ICE activity near schools, hospitals, and places of worship. Current federal policy allows courthouse arrests when agents have reliable information that a targeted individual is present — unless state or local laws explicitly prohibit such action.
During the two-day contempt hearing, ICE agent Sullivan testified that the prosecution’s chief witness confirmed both the Massachusetts State Police and prosecutors were aware of the planned federal arrest, according to the AP.
State police later issued a statement defending their conduct, saying: “As in any situation where a member becomes aware of federal immigration enforcement, the Troopers responded appropriately by neither assisting nor obstructing the federal action.”
The confrontation highlights a growing clash between President Trump’s enforcement-first immigration agenda and left-wing sanctuary policies that increasingly put judges and local officials at odds with federal law.