PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — City leaders and community members banded together in Providence Thursday to advocate for virtual hearings amid an uptick in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detaining people outside of courtrooms.

Those in attendance gathered outside the Licht Judicial Complex on Benefit Street in Providence, calling on the Rhode Island Supreme Court and Governor Dan McKee to expand access to virtual court hearings.

“What motivated us in 2020 to move virtual was a sense of emergency, a sense of community safety and a sense of community protection,” said Providence City Council President Rachel Miller. “Those issues are still alive and well today for individuals in many walks of life.”

Before the gathering, ICE agents attempted to detain a high school student

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