Particle.news
Download on the App Store
3 ARTICLES
·
2h ago

Judge Temporarily Blocks ICE Plan to Detain Youths on 18th Birthday

The order enforces a 2021 ruling requiring ICE to consider least-restrictive alternatives when unaccompanied youths turn 18.

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement vehicle is parked outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) building Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025, in Broadview, Ill. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Overview

  • U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras in Washington, D.C., issued a temporary order halting ICE’s new guidance to transfer youths from shelters to adult detention upon turning 18.
  • The judge directed ICE to produce documents describing the agency’s recent guidance as the court reviews potential violations of the Garcia Ramirez injunction.
  • The American Immigration Council and the National Immigrant Justice Center filed an emergency motion early Saturday seeking enforcement of the 2021 ruling.
  • Attorneys reported that ICE took custody of at least one youth on his 18th birthday, who was released an hour after the court’s order took effect.
  • The advocates’ filing cites an ICE email from El Paso indicating shelters were told not to release youths turning 18 under the new guidance, and separate reporting says ICE is preparing a $2,500 voluntary return offer for some minors.