Overview

• U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel enjoined a May Justice Department directive that pushed immigration judges to quickly grant government dismissal motions, with the stay applying in Manhattan and the Bronx.
• Castel found ICE’s courthouse arrest policy likely lawful, allowing agents to continue arrests at New York City immigration courts despite the broader legal challenge.
• The administration rescinded 2021 limits on civil immigration enforcement near courthouses and issued new guidance permitting arrests when officers have credible information a target will be present.
• A class-action lawsuit filed in San Diego on behalf of two asylum seekers asks a federal judge to vacate the new DHS/ICE guidance and to prohibit arrests outside the local immigration courthouse.
• Volunteer court watchers in San Diego report fewer hallway arrests in recent weeks, a trend they note after an Aug. 29 D.C. court order paused an expansion of expedited removals.