Masked ICE agents lead a crying man in handcuffs out of San Antonio immigration courtroom after he showed up for his hearing last year. Credit: Sanford Nowlin
U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy on Wednesday said he attended a federal immigration court in San Antonio that morning and witnessed Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agents arresting asylum seekers who showed up for their hearings — regardless of the judge’s ruling on their legal status.
“What you are seeing is the systemic, hourly violation of the law. Trump is making up his own law,” Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, said in a three-minute video posted to social media channel X. “People who are playing by the rules are being put into detention. This has nothing to do with people who are violent. Nothing to do with targeting criminals. This is just creating an entirely new body of law where might makes right.”
Murphy went on to explain that those seeking asylum at San Antonio immigration court Wednesday were trying to do it “the right way” by attending required appointments and hearings. However, that didn’t matter, the senator added, because ICE agents waiting in the hall outside the courtroom detained the asylum seekers and started their deportation, regardless.
I spent the morning at the San Antonio immigration court. It’s out of control.
Crawling with ICE – arresting legal immigrants showing up for court appearances.
I asked one officer who they are prioritizing. His answer: everyone.
I need to share with you what I saw. pic.twitter.com/X7jyzhOG3C
— Chris Murphy 🟧 (@ChrisMurphyCT) January 21, 2026
“Even though they have a pending claim, even though they have no criminal history, no arrest history, this is what’s happening inside of these facilities,” Murphy said.
The circumstances described by Murphy are nearly identical to those witnessed by the Current at San Antonio Immigration Court in May. During those arrests, masked federal agents swarmed people showing up for asylum hearings and check-ins, detaining them the instant they left the courtroom and hauling them onto a prison bus outside.
Murphy’s San Antonio visit comes as tensions over Trump’s ICE enforcement, including the death of Minneapolis woman Renee Good at the hands of a masked federal agent, have sparked protests nationwide.
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