Federal Judge Blocks Nationwide ICE Arrests at Immigration Courts

U.S. District Judge P. Casey Pitts issued a nationwide injunction on June 23, 2026, barring the federal government from making arrests at immigration courts. The ruling invalidates 2025 policies implemented by the Donald Trump administration that allowed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to detain migrants in courthouse hallways, often immediately after legal proceedings. This decision expands a previous May ruling that had only prohibited such arrests in New York.

Judge Pitts ruled that the policies were arbitrary and capricious and violated the Administrative Procedure Act of 1946. The court found that the administration failed to provide a rational explanation for rescinding earlier restrictions and ignored the chilling effect these arrests have on noncitizens' willingness to attend court. Additionally, the judge faulted the government for detaining individuals in short-term facilities beyond the prescribed 12-hour limit.

James Percival, General Counsel for the Department of Homeland Security, condemned the decision as naked judicial activism in service of an anti-American, open borders agenda. The Department of Justice had requested the ruling be limited to the Northern District of California, but the judge rejected this claim and vacated the policy nationwide. The Trump administration is currently considering an appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Legal advocates, including the National Immigrant Justice Center and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, praised the ruling for protecting the pursuit of justice.