Federal agents detained man in local court in Kentucky under Trump deportation plan
Federal authorities who said they were acting under an executive order from President Donald Trump arrested a man Monday after his appearance on a state court charge, according to the man’s attorney.
Trump has pushed federal authorities to deport more people who are in the U.S. Illegally.
Monday’s arrest could indicate Central Kentucky was part of that effort, in which agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agencies arrested hundreds of people around the country, according to national reports.
John Reynolds, a former circuit judge in Fayette County, said the arrest happened after his client, Clemente Gerardo Martinez Juarez, went to district court in Madison County on a drunken driving charge.
Martinez pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 27 days on home incarceration.
Reynolds said as he left the courtroom with Martinez, two men stopped them and said they needed to speak with Martinez.
The men were not in uniform, and there were not any agency names visible on their clothes, such as ICE, but they did have badges.
In addition, Reynolds recognized one of the men, James Bugg, an agent with Homeland Security Investigations.
Reynolds said the agents asked Martinez for identification, and he produced an ID card, but told the agents he didn’t have a Kentucky driver’s license. The agents also asked him for a passport, but Martinez said it was at home.
The agents said Martinez was in the country illegally and would be detained.
When Reynolds asked if they had a warrant or a court order, one of the agents said they were “operating under executive order from President Trump,” Reynolds said.
One agent had a pad with several other Spanish names on it, Reynolds said.
Reynolds said he has been an attorney in Kentucky since 1997 and hadn’t had another case in which immigration authorities arrested someone at court.
“I was shocked, honestly,” he said.
District Judge Robert Jennings, who was on the bench Monday afternoon in Madison County, and Circuit Clerk David Fernandez said federal authorities had not notified them they would be doing enforcement at the judicial center.
Jennings said a court security officer told him just before he went on the bench that ICE agents were there. He told the security officer the federal agents didn’t need to be in the courtroom.
“I was as surprised as anybody,” he said.
Fernandez said it was the first time he was aware of in his six years as circuit clerk that ICE agents had come to court and taken someone into custody.
Fernandez said a court security officer told him that federal agents took custody of a total of four men and one woman outside the courtroom Monday.
Reynolds said he did not know if Martinez is in the country illegally, but said he understands Martinez has been in the U.S. for many years and runs several crews for a construction company.
“Pretty successful guy,” Reynolds said.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials did not respond Tuesday morning to a telephone call seeking comment.
Oldham County Detention Center lists several inmates on its website as being detained on federal immigration charges.
Officials with Oldham County Detention Center, which is an ICE detention center, were not immediately available for comment.
At least four inmates booked into the jail since Jan. 25 list immigration as the arresting agency. No other information is available.
National news outlets reported the Trump Administration embarked on an enforcement blitz Sunday, arresting hundreds of people.
The Washington Post reported the administration had told ICE to boost its arrest quotas to try to increase deportation numbers.
This story was originally published January 27, 2025 at 5:25 PM.
