US Federal Judge Blocks Nationwide Immigration Court Arrests

U.S. District Judge P. Casey Pitts, sitting in San Francisco, issued a nationwide injunction that stops the Trump administration from having Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrest migrants at immigration courts. The judge said the policy violated the Administrative Procedure Act, describing it as “arbitrary and capricious” and noting that ICE and the Executive Office for Immigration Review failed to provide reasoned explanations. He highlighted the “chilling effect” on defendants’ willingness to attend hearings.

The practice, revived after President Donald Trump returned to the White House, placed agents outside courtrooms to detain people as they left asylum hearings, turning missed appearances into potential criminal offenses. The ruling follows a similar New York injunction earlier this year. Homeland Security general counsel James Percival denounced the decision as “naked judicial activism.”