In general, decisions about where and how to make arrests are based on the arrestee’s criminal history, safety considerations and “any sensitivities involving the arrest location,” Pitts-O’Keefe said.

Many of the people ICE arrests at courthouses are foreign nationals with prior criminal convictions, the agency said in an emailed statement.

“In years past, most of these individuals would have been turned over to ICE by local authorities upon their release from jail based on ICE detainers,” the agency said.

Jails and prisons are considered safe locations to make arrests, according to the statement, as are courthouses, where visitors are searched for weapons at entrances.

When the address or place of employment of someone they plan to arrest is not known, “a courthouse may afford the most likely opportunity to locate a target and take him or her into custody,” ICE said.

When making an arrest at a courthouse, “every effort is made to take the person into custody in a secure area, out of public view, but this is not always possible,” the agency said.