New York Judge Restricts ICE Courthouse Arrests at Three Manhattan Immigration Courts
A federal judge in New York has blocked most arrests by federal agents in and around three Manhattan immigration court locations, limiting a Trump administration enforcement practice that targeted people appearing for immigration proceedings.
U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel ruled that agents generally cannot make arrests at or near immigration courts at 26 Federal Plaza, 201 Varick Street and 290 Broadway unless exceptional circumstances apply. The decision follows a reversal by government lawyers, who acknowledged that a 2025 courthouse-arrest policy they had cited did not apply to immigration courts.
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The ruling matters because many immigrants are required to appear in court to pursue asylum claims or other immigration cases. Arresting people around those hearings can discourage court attendance and disrupt legal proceedings.
The decision is not a nationwide ban. But it adds to the broader legal fight over how far the federal government can go in expanding immigration enforcement under the Trump administration.
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