Federal judge bans most ICE arrests at New York City courthouses

(The Center Square) – A federal judge has banned most arrests by ICE agents in several New York City immigration courts, siding with civil liberties groups that sued to stop the practice.

The ruling by U.S. District Court Judge P. Kevin Castel prevents U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from detaining immigrants who show up for scheduled hearings at three Lower Manhattan federal immigration buildings.

Federal authorities will still be allowed to make arrests in the courthouses under “exceptional” circumstances and when there is a “serious threat” to public safety, under the ruling.

Castel, appointed by former President George W. Bush, had previously given a greenlight to the ICE courthouse arrests in a September ruling in the legal challenge. But he said attorneys for the federal government recently conceded that the 2025 policy the Trump administration relied on to make arrests at the courthouses didn’t apply to federal immigration courts.

“Here, defendants’ concession that the 2025 ICE C...