Latest news with #ElizabethFischer
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Accused Venezuelan thief begs NYC judge to lock him up to avoid being nabbed by ICE as it rounded up illegal immigrants making court appearances
An accused Venezuelan bike thief asked a New York City judge to lock him up in Rikers Island to evade arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents — whose efforts to detain him were blocked when the desperate plea was stunningly granted by a judge. Nolveiro Vera Ordonez, 30, was arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court on charges for fourth-degree criminal mischief, petit larceny and fifth-degree criminal possession of stolen property while five masked ICE agents waited outside the heavily secured courtroom to take him into custody Wednesday afternoon. His lawyer, Elizabeth Fischer of the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, said her client was 'voluntarily' requesting to be jailed on $100, on charges that typically do not require bail to be set. The attorney citied an obscure bail law where a defendant can request bail at any time and that if the judge is 'satisfied' that the bail is voluntary, 'the court shall set such bail in such amount.' Judge Rachel Pauley, who noted the request was 'highly unusual,' agreed to set Ordonez's bail at $100 – effectively blocking the federal arrest and prompting ICE agents to scatter out of the courthouse. 'Mr. Rivera Ordonez, at your request … I'm setting bail on what is otherwise a bail-ineligible offense,' she told him. The judge, however, remanded Ordonez on the federal warrant. Just a few blocks away, masked federal agents were seen detaining at least four other illegal immigrants who were summoned for appointments near Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan, photos showed. The individuals had apparently reported to the nondescript building for scheduled appearances with Homeland Security's Intensive Supervision Appearance Program when they were arrested. The program targets immigrants at various stages of deportation proceedings and typically requires check-ins every few weeks or months – with several weeks' notice given in advance. One photo captured a distraught woman collapsed on the ground, crying, as the raid unfolded around her. Another photo showed a father kissing his daughter on the forehead as he is hauled away by agents. Additional footage showed a distressed woman looking back at her daughter as she was being placed into a vehicle by agents. The large-scale roundups outside federal courts and offices have become a regular occurrence nationwide as the Trump administration hones in on migrants with final removal orders, sources told The Post. Last week, as many as 10 migrants were detained while leaving the federal immigration courthouse at 26 Federal Plaza. Another 16 immigrants were detained from a nondescript office building in the same area Tuesday afternoon, The City reported. The outlet reported that masked agents placed the handcuffed individuals into SUVS parked in a garage across the street from the federal courthouse approximately 15 minutes past each hour throughout the day. The sweeping arrests come after President Trump instructed ICE agents to wait outside federal immigration courts across the country to handcuff illegal migrants as soon as they receive a deportation order from a judge, sources told The Post. ICE shares an office with the immigration court in downtown New York City, allowing federal agents to make such arrests easily.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
‘Does this look like a BMW neighborhood?'
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Residents of a low-income senior housing complex say dozens of luxury cars crowd their block in the Kerns neighborhood. While it's a frustration for neighbors, KOIN 6 News discovered this issue also violates local and federal law. KOIN 6 News is working to find solutions for these seniors in Northeast Portland, after investigating a social media post about BMWs and Mini Coopers blocking sidewalks and streets in the area. These cars are being serviced by Boyd Motor Werks at NE 18th and Everett. This shop specializes in fixing those European-manufactured cars. Elizabeth Fischer lives in a 75-unit senior apartment complex right next door to Boyd Motor Werks. When KOIN 6 News spoke with her, there were two dozen BMWs and Mini Coopers taking up about 25% of the street parking in a one-block radius around the auto repair shop and apartment. 'I mean, does this look like a BMW neighborhood?' Fischer said. In addition to taking up a significant portion of the immediate street parking in the area around the auto shop, the business' parking lot is also packed. 'I saw this Mini Cooper that was actually blocking people's access to the sidewalk. I just couldn't believe it,' she said. 'It made me furious because there are people in my building who use walkers and some people who use wheelchairs.' Cars parked like this in the business' driveway also take over the sidewalk – violating the Americans with Disabilities Act because it obstructs access for people with disabilities. The Portland Bureau of Transportation told KOIN 6 News reports of parked vehicles blocking sidewalks are a top priority for PBOT Parking Enforcement. 'We can generally respond on the same day – often within a few hours. Our officers have discretion to speak with the vehicle owner (if they're available) to move the car, or our officers can have the vehicle towed immediately,' said Dylan Rivera, a PBOT spokesperson. Shop owner Eric Edwards told KOIN 6 News neighbors 'complain all the time' about his parking situation, but that he will move the cars if he's asked. Fischer said that's not always possible if she comes home after the auto shop closes at 5PM. 'I actually wound up parking on the other side of Burnside one day because I couldn't find a parking spot,' Fischer said. 'It seems like the repair shop is taking up a lot more spaces than they're entitled to.' A Portland parking ordinance makes it unlawful for any vehicle repair business to park vehicles on a street, alley, lane or other public right-of-way while the car is in the business' possession. When KOIN 6 News asked Edwards to comment about the illegal parking, he declined. But he did later email a statement: 'Thank you for stopping by today and bring [sic] to my attention that it is illegal for us or my client to park on the street. The city has never said anything about that to us. We try really hard to be courteous to our neighbors and help them out. Every chance I get when I see one of them is to let them know if I have a car parked where they need to be please come and ask me, and I will move it right away. We are working extra hard to move these cars as fast as we can, we don't want to be a burden on anyone or put anyone out. We care about our neighbors and our community.' Ken Ray with said his code enforcement team will work with parking enforcement to look into this issue. 'We have a complaint-based system, so if we don't receive a complaint, we don't know about it. So it's important for the public if they see something to report it to us and we'll take a look,' Ray told KOIN 6 News. 'I'm sure we'll be talking with the Portland Bureau of Transportation based on whatever our inspector sees at the site and we'll be in contact with them to address whether there are any code violations and what the appropriate steps would be to follow up.' Anyone who is concerned about this body shop or a similar right-of-way parking issue can file a confidential code complaint with Portland Permitting and Development online, by email—codec@ by phone, 503.823.2633 'We'll open a case and investigate,' Ray said. Fischer didn't realize it is illegal for the repair shop to utilize public street parking. She has now filed a complaint with the city. KOIN 6 News is not aware of any other complaints against the business. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
