Lawsuit filed to halt ICE agents from making arrests within immigration court premises
In a significant legal challenge, a class-action lawsuit was recently filed against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Justice (DOJ), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and related entities. The lawsuit, filed on July 16-17, 2025, aims to halt the ongoing practice of immigrants being arrested at immigration court hearings.
The lawsuit, brought by 12 immigrants who were arrested at or after their court hearings, along with several immigrant advocacy groups, alleges that the Trump administration's policy of ICE arresting migrants at immigration courthouses after their hearings violates constitutional rights, including the Fifth Amendment. The practice, they argue, is creating widespread fear, discouraging immigrants from attending their hearings altogether.
The suits name DHS, DOJ, ICE, and the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) as defendants. They allege that the administration has reversed previous policies that limited courthouse arrests and instead authorized ICE to arrest immigrants during or immediately following their hearings. This, they claim, denies immigrants the chance to fully argue their cases or access relief under immigration law.
Plaintiffs include asylum seekers whose cases were dismissed without notice or reasoning, who were then taken into custody and detained far from their families, illustrating the alleged harm. Advocates describe the policy as an “authoritarian takeover” of the immigration court system and a weaponization of the courts meant to expedite deportations.
No official comment has been provided yet by ICE, DHS, or DOJ, and the EOIR declined to comment on the lawsuit. The Executive Office for Immigration Review, which oversees the courts, also declined to comment.
The Immigrant Advocates Response Collaborative, American Gateways, the National Immigrant Justice Center, Democracy Forward, and other groups are involved in the lawsuit. They are fighting against what they see as the Trump administration's escalating attacks on the U.S. Constitution and rule of law.
Priyanka Gandhi-Abriano, interim CEO for Immigrant Advocates Response Collaborative, states that the arrests are a deliberate attempt to intimidate people. Keren Zwick, director of litigation at the National Immigrant Justice Center, claims that the U.S. immigration court system is being authoritatively controlled by the Trump administration.
The lawsuit is pending in federal court in D.C., and aims to restore due process protections for immigrants attending scheduled hearings. As of mid-July 2025, the lawsuit represents a significant legal challenge to the current government policy but has not yet been resolved or ruled upon.
President Donald Trump has pledged to deport the most dangerous criminals, but government data shows that the majority of people detained by ICE have no criminal convictions. Large-scale immigration court arrests have caused fear among asylum-seekers and immigrants, leading to a chilling effect on participation in the legal process.
Messages seeking comment from ICE, Homeland Security, and the Justice Department were not immediately returned. The current status of the lawsuit remains to be seen, but it serves as a testament to the ongoing struggle for due process and the rule of law in the U.S. immigration system.
[1] NPR. (2025). Lawsuit Filed Against Trump Administration Over Immigrant Court Arrests. [online] Available at: https://www.npr.org/2025/07/18/1228996903/lawsuit-filed-against-trump-administration-over-immigrant-court-arrests
[2] The Washington Post. (2025). Class-action lawsuit filed against DHS, DOJ, ICE over arrests of immigrants at court hearings. [online] Available at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/2025/07/18/class-action-lawsuit-filed-against-dhs-doj-ice-over-arrests-immigrants-court-hearings/
[3] The New York Times. (2025). Lawsuit Challenges Trump Administration's Policy of Arresting Immigrants at Courthouses. [online] Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/18/us/lawsuit-challenges-trump-administrations-policy-of-arresting-immigrants-at-courthouses.html
[4] CNN. (2025). Class-action lawsuit filed against Trump administration over immigrant court arrests. [online] Available at: https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/18/politics/class-action-lawsuit-trump-administration-immigrant-court-arrests/index.html
- The class-action lawsuit, filed against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Department of Justice (DOJ), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and related entities, is being fought by 12 immigrants and several immigrant advocacy groups in Toronto, alleging that the practice of ICE arresting migrants at immigration courthouses violates constitutional rights and creates widespread fear.
- The lawsuit, filed on July 16-17, 2025, names the DHS, DOJ, ICE, and the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) as defendants, claiming that the Trump administration's policy of authorizing ICE to arrest immigrants during or immediately following their hearings denies immigrants the chance to fully argue their cases or access relief under immigration law.
- Advocates argue that this policy is an "authoritarian takeover" of the immigration court system and a weaponization of the courts meant to expedite deportations, and they are fighting against what they see as the Trump administration's escalating attacks on the U.S. Constitution and rule of law.
- The lawsuit has been filed in federal court in D.C., aiming to restore due process protections for immigrants attending scheduled hearings, with the current status of the lawsuit remaining to be seen.
- Large-scale immigration court arrests have caused fear among asylum-seekers and immigrants, leading to a chilling effect on participation in the legal process, and President Trump's pledge to deport the most dangerous criminals contradicts government data showing that the majority of people detained by ICE have no criminal convictions.
