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3d ago

Judge Halts ICE Courthouse Arrests Across Northern California

The ruling faults the policy’s lack of reasoned justification, citing a chilling effect on immigrants’ court attendance.

Federal agents detain a man after exiting a court hearing in immigration court at the Jacob K. Javitz Federal Building on September 12, 2025, in New York City.
The order halts ICE arrests of immigrants at courthouses in San Francisco and other areas in its jurisdiction, including Hawaii and Guam.
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Overview

  • U.S. District Judge P. Casey Pitts issued a Christmas Eve injunction blocking civil immigration arrests at immigration courthouses within ICE’s San Francisco area of responsibility.
  • The order is geographically limited to Northern and Central California, reflecting recent Supreme Court limits on broad injunctions.
  • Pitts found the 2025 policy likely arbitrary and capricious under the Administrative Procedure Act and likely violative of due process.
  • Attorneys reported more than 100 arrests at San Francisco–area courts and several thousand nationwide, with federal data showing in‑absentia removal orders more than doubling in 2025.
  • The Trump administration said it will appeal to the 9th Circuit, as a separate Manhattan ruling upholding the policy tees up conflicting outcomes and potential Supreme Court review in 2026.