What we saw during an ICE arrest and immigration court hearing: the breakdown of justice in America

“Do they know this is just a farce?” This is what Rose Patrice Kuhn, I.H.M., asked after we witnessed Immigration and Customs Enforcement detain a man right outside of immigration court in Harlingen, Texas. Carlos, a Nicaraguan, was in the process of requesting asylum and had just been tricked out of his right to due process. He was now in an ICE van headed for deportation, even though he explicitly mentioned in court that his life would be at risk in Nicaragua because of his political activism.

We knew this was a possibility, as our colleagues have witnessed this outcome becoming common across the country. We were two Jesuits present with Sister Rose to accompany individuals who had shown up for their scheduled court appearances. We hoped to offer comfort, a prayerful presence and potentially deter this result, which, from our perspective, is a complete embarrassment to the justice system and an affront to human dignity.

https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2025/07/11/ice-immigration-court-deportation-injustice-251119