Overview

• Democracy Forward and the National Immigrant Justice Center filed a suit in D.C. District Court representing 12 migrants, including individuals who are gay and living with HIV, seeking to block ICE arrests at their immigration court hearings.
• A separate class-action lawsuit brought by migrants alleges a coordinated “campaign of courthouse arrests” after DHS began allowing agents to detain noncitizens at sensitive locations.
• The suits challenge January DHS guidance that reversed long-standing restrictions and permits deportation officers to apprehend migrants at courthouses nationwide.
• Reps. Dan Goldman and Adriano Espaillat introduced legislation to ban ICE agents from wearing masks during immigration court arrests in an effort to increase transparency.
• DHS and the Justice Department have publicly defended courthouse arrests as resource-efficient and safer for officers and communities.