Mexican national Martin Cortez-Lopez went to court Tuesday morning to schedule a plea for drug charges. He left in federal custody for illegally reentering the United States.
FBI agents detained Cortez-Lopez at the Monroe County Justice Center on a warrant requested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The man was arrested last summer by the IU Police Department for possession of cocaine and operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person. When he was booked at the county jail, his fingerprints were submitted to a federal database where they matched prints taken from his deportation in 2011.
Cortez-Lopez had been arrested in Florida 15 years ago on charges of resisting an officer with violence and possession of a controlled substance.
According to court documents, when he left the courthouse Tuesday, he was taken to the U.S. Marshal cellblock in Indianapolis. He’s awaiting his initial appearance in federal court and his plea hearing in Monroe County.
Bloomington social media was abuzz with purported sightings of ICE agents, particularly on Indiana University’s campus. But as of Tuesday morning, local law enforcement didn’t report being aware of any ICE activity.
Monroe County Sheriff’s Department deputy Jeff Brown said that despite a busy morning, he hadn’t heard anything about federal agents. He called WFIU-WTIU News back around 11:20 a.m. Tuesday when he learned the FBI had arrested someone on a federal warrant at the justice center.
FBI spokesperson Christine Bavender confirmed the arrest but wouldn’t comment on the person’s immigration status.
Read more: Monroe County Sheriff defends immigration policy
Other local departments also reported being unaware of ICE activity.
IUPD spokesperson Hannah Cornett said at 10:15 a.m. Tuesday, “Nothing on our radar at this point with ICE, but also probably good to note that we wouldn't be alerted even if they were in town.”
The department said previously it would assist ICE only if there were a warrant.
Read more: Letter to faculty shines some light on plight of students with revoked visas
Bloomington Police spokesperson Ryan Pedigo said Tuesday morning he was unaware of any ICE arrests the night before, “But that is not something we would have been involved in, so I can’t say for certain.”
Read more: Braun orders police to cooperate with immigration authorities
ICE agents have ramped up “removal operations” elsewhere in the state.
