A Maryland corrections department employee is no longer at her job following an internal investigation by the agency into whether she improperly invited federal immigration agents to a Baltimore courthouse to detain a defendant she suspected of being undocumented.

On June 24, ICE agents appeared at the Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr. Courthouse and indicated that they had an appointment with the employee, who worked in pretrial services on the fourth floor, according to the Baltimore City Sheriff’s Office, which also investigated the incident.

Sheriff’s deputies led the agents to the fourth floor, where they watched them detain an individual in what they “later confirmed was a federal immigration action by ICE officers. The episode was first reported by The Baltimore Banner. It prompted calls from local advocates, public officials and the sheriff himself to keep immigration enforcement out of the courthouse.

Neither the sheriff’s office nor the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services have named the employee. The corrections department would confirm only that she was no longer employed with the agency, but said it could not comment further on what it described as “personnel matters.”

Sheriff Sam Cogen on Thursday reacted to the news of the employee’s status by saying in a statement that “the courthouse must be a safe space for everyone and when ICE swoops in and takes a person away, it harms the administration of justice.”

“When litigants, witnesses, victims, and even defendants are ferreted away from state courts before justice has its day, it is bad for everyone regardless of political party because it undermines the rule of law,” Cogen said.

In June, the sheriff’s office was first to confirm that it was investigating the incident with the corrections department employee, describing her contact with federal immigration agents as acting “outside the scope of their standard duties.”

The Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services followed up with a statement that it was conducting its own investigation, saying that the employee notified ICE of a “scheduled pretrial intake appointment,” prompting federal agents to respond and take someone into custody.

The corrections department said at the time that it “did not authorize or coordinate this action” and that the employee involved had been placed on paid administrative leave pending the investigation.

The sheriff’s investigation was welcomed by the clerk of the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, who issued a rare statement in support and thanked Cogen for opening what was then described as a criminal investigation.

The clerk, who is responsible for managing legal filings, records and other services, “emphasized his office’s commitment to protecting personal information, maintaining public trust and upholding justice in all interactions.”

The sheriff’s office had expressed concern that the presence of immigration enforcement officers in the courthouse could make it more difficult for prosecutors to present witnesses and for sheriff’s deputies to serve failure-to-appear notices.

Local elected officials and advocates called the incident troubling and said it could intimidate immigrant community members from appearing at the courthouse.