CHARLOTTSVILLE (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) –  UPDATE 4/28 6:15AM: A Department of Homeland Security release obtained by CBS19 claims “ICE and federal law enforcement partners coordinated a lawful arrest with the Albemarle General District Court of an illegally present, violent Honduran alien with multiple arrests for assault and battery as well as an outstanding order of protection against him.”
The statement continues that two bystanders who questioned, and attempted at times to stand between the detainee and plainclothes ICE agents, who did not present identification or a warrant at the arrest location, will be prosecuted by the US Attorney’s Office. Sheriff Chan Bryant confirms to CvilleRightNow while the agents presented proper identification and warrants for the two arrested, they did not contact her office prior to showing up a the courthouse.
Click here for the entire ICE statement and CBS19 report.

ORIGINAL:

Neither the Albemarle Sheriff’s Office nor the police department say were notified that federal agents were showing up at the courthouse Tuesday morning to detain two men. ACPD’s Logan Bogert says they don’t have the authority to enforce federal immigration laws, nor did Homeland Security contact them prior, and they don’t expect them to. Sheriff Chan Bryant says her office “did not know in advance they were coming… we only knew when they walked into the building”.
The sheriff’s office has primary jurisdiction over law enforcement at the Albemarle courthouse.

Former federal prosecutor and WINA legal analyst Tim Heaphy said when he was the US Attorney here, they would show a detainer to local authorities.
“They would coordinate with the county sheriff, or you know the local officials that don’t handle immigration, that there would be a coordinated process.”
He said it would usually be done in a hand-off.

Heaphy also said they didn’t go into so-called sensitive places such as churches, schools, and courthouses, a policy that is since revoked.