Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) claimed to have witnessed Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arresting migrants who were attending immigration court in his Manhattan office building. He accused the agents of “Gestapo like behavior” for detaining the migrants there.

Under the Trump administration, ICE has been allowed to make arrests in locations previously deemed “sensitive,” including schools and churches.

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Goldman’s opposition to the arrests comes after immigration authorities arrested a 20-year-old Venezuelan at a New York City courthouse last week, stirring controversy within the city on the boundaries of immigration enforcement.

“This is Gestapo like behavior where plain-clothed officers, wearing masks, are terrorizing immigrants who are doing the right thing by going to court, following up on their immigration proceedings, and trying to come into this country lawfully, which is through asylum,” he said in a statement shared with the Washington Examiner.

Goldman confronted the agents personally, appearing to follow the plainclothes officers around while asking them questions. He said he asked the agents why they were wearing masks. The congressman said one said they were wearing a mask because “it’s cold,” while another said they were wearing one to avoid being seen on video.

He asked them, “If what you are doing is legitimate, is lawful, is totally aboveboard, why do you need to cover your face?”

Here's Rep. Dan Goldman confronting ICE agents at his office in Manhattan yesterday, which is in a building that also houses an immigration court. Agents were seen arresting migrants: pic.twitter.com/pc7CpgCsmF

— Ross O'Keefe (@RossOKeefe2) May 30, 2025

The Department of Homeland Security responded to Goldman’s accusations in a post on X, calling it “absolutely sickening” for the congressman to compare “heroic” ICE agents to Nazis.

DHS said that ICE agents wear masks “to protect themselves from being targeted by known and suspected gang members, murders, and rapists … Attacks and demonization of our brave law enforcement is WRONG. ICE officers are now facing a 413% increase in assaults.”

The agency is using court hearings to detain migrants appearing for scheduled hearings, the New York Times reported Tuesday. Immigration lawyers told the outlet that ICE agents were targeting migrants shortly after judges dismissed their cases. ICE reportedly instructed agents to begin arrests near courthouses in January because it’s safer for the agents, given the secure courthouse environment.

Goldman believes illegal immigrants who haven’t been convicted of a violent crime shouldn’t be subject to arrest and deportation.

“This is not America. This is not who we are. And if you are a violent criminal, if you’re a convicted criminal, then you should be deported. I 100% agree with that. But these people are doing it the right way … They’re trying to seek a better life. They’re trying to escape horrific conditions at home and come to this great democracy and pursue the American dream. This is not who we are,” he said.

“This is not how our government should behave. And we will continue to demand answers from the Department of Homeland Security about what they are doing, why they are doing it, and why they are doing this end run around the legal process,” he added.

THE PROBLEMS AND OPPORTUNITIES WITH TRUMP’S MASS DEPORTATION PLAN

ICE recently saw the departure of two top officials as it tries to ramp up its enforcement operations. The Washington Examiner reported that one of them, Ken Genalo, acting executive associate director of ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, retired when he was no longer wanted in his position and couldn’t return to New York City as a field office director.

President Donald Trump has promised to carry out the “largest-ever” deportation operation, but after illegal border crossings have slowed to a crawl under his administration, he is on track to come in below the highest year during the Obama administration.