US Federal Judge Strikes Down Trump-Era Immigration Policies Allowing Courthouse Arrests

A US federal judge in California has struck down four Trump administration immigration enforcement policies that expanded civil immigration arrests at courthouses, holding that the government failed to provide a legally sufficient explanation for abandoning longstanding restrictions.

The decision, delivered by Judge P. Casey Pitts of the US District Court for the Northern District of California, found that the policies violated the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) because they were "arbitrary and capricious." The ruling restores earlier limits on immigration enforcement at courthouses and on the use of short-term detention holds.

The case arose from a class action filed by noncitizens arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) while attending immigration court hearings. The lead plaintiff, Guatemalan asylum seeker Carmen Aracely Pablo Sequen, was detained by ICE after leaving a hearing at the San Francisco Immigration Court in July 2025.

The Court examined four immigration directives issued in 2025, including ICE Policies 11072.3 and 11072.4, ICE's Nationwide Hold Room Waiver memorandum, and EOIR Operating Policy 25-06. Judge Pitts observed that ICE had removed decades-old courthouse enforcement restrictions without providing any meaningful justification, while the Executive Office for Immigration Review relied on an incorrect assumption regarding the validity of the policy changes.

Emphasising the requirements of the APA, the Court stated that federal agencies must provide reasoned explanations before changing established policies, even if courts ultimately do not question the policy choice itself.

The ruling follows similar judicial decisions, including a New York federal court judgment in African Communities Together v. Lyons, reflecting growing scrutiny of immigration enforcement practices at courthouses. The decision marks another legal setback for the Trump administration's immigration enforcement measures and reinforces procedural safeguards governing agency decision-making.