Massachusetts Judge Faces Obstruction Charges for Impeding ICE

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Apr 25, 2019

A Massachusetts judge is in trouble with the law after impeding the work of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to a Thursday report.

“U.S. federal prosecutors on Thursday charged a Massachusetts judge and court officer with conspiracy and obstruction, saying they blocked an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer from arresting an illegal immigrant at a 2018 court proceeding,” said Reuters. 

District Court Judge Shelley Joseph was charged along with Trial Court Officer Wesley MacGregor.

“They focus on an April 2018 hearing in Newton District Court, outside Boston, where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer intended to arrest an unidentified suspected illegal immigrant from the Dominican Republic facing a drug charge,” the report said.

Joseph “huddled” with the defendant’s attorney and told the attorney that she was not going to allow ICE into the courtroom. She reportedly allowed the suspect to exit through the rear door of the courtroom, while the ICE agent waited in the front lobby.

“The state Supreme Judicial Court suspended Joseph without pay, but said its move “in no way reflects any opinion on the merits of the pending criminal case,” according to the report.

Joseph faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. The suspect was later caught and arrested.

The showdown in the Massachusetts courtroom came amid gridlock in Washington, D.C. over border security.

Big League Politics reported:

As illegal border crossings surge, Democrats blocked a meaningful amount of wall funding in the 2019 federal budget. President Donald J. Trump declared a National Emergency to address the issue, with plans to divert Department of Defense funding for the project, for which several heavily-blue states immediately sued his administration.

In addition to failing to deliver wall funding during 2017 and 2018, 12 Republican Senators voted against the president’s emergency wall funding, including Sens. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska).

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