CHARLOTTESVILLE (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Some 300 people turned out on the sidewalk at Court Square in front of the Albemarle County courthouse protesting what they saw on a video posted by The Daily Progress from inside the general district court hallway. Click here for that story on CvilleRighNow.com. The video shows plainclothes federal agents, showing no identification and no warrants, detaining one of two men from the courthouse.

ICE protest sign
Sign at the 4/23/25 ICE protest of plainclothes federal agents detaining two men in the Albemarle County courthouse

Protestors, outraged by what they saw on the video, held signs and chanted protests of a lack of due process and tactics they say fly in the face of the 5th Amendment. City resident Virginia Doherty told CvilleRightNow.com she was infuriated by what she saw in the video.
“They come up with things over their heads, you think we lives in a 3rd-world country… these people had no right to do that, it’s a lack of due process.”

Nataly Avilas put the onus on the sheriff asking why they let “people come in with masks on, which is not legal in our courthouse, abduct somebody with showing badge numbers or identification, and take them away in an unmarked vehicle”.

Click here to see Sheriff Chan Bryant’s complete statement.
Click here to see Commonwealth Attorney Jim Hingeley’s reaction.