a day ago
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.
