ICE Admits Courthouse Arrests
A March 31 YouTube upload titled 'ICE Finally Admitted the Truth about Courthouse Arrests in Federal Court' surfaced as a new media touchpoint on enforcement at courthouses — a topical hook for removal defense discussions. The video has no transcript attached but is already being cited in practitioner conversations about courthouse arrest practices. (youtube.com)
The Justice Department filed a letter to U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel on March 24–25, 2026 acknowledging a “material mistaken statement of fact” after repeatedly citing a May 2025 ICE guidance in African Communities Together v. Lyons. (hackinglawpractice.com) The guidance at issue is ICE Directive 11072.4, titled “Civil Immigration Enforcement Actions In or Near Courthouses,” issued May 27, 2025 and posted as ICE Policy Memorandum 11072.4. (ice.gov) DOJ told the court the May 27, 2025 Guidance “does not and has never applied” to Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) immigration courts and attached an internal March 19, 2026 ERO memorandum as part of the correction. (hackinglawpractice.com) Judge P. Kevin Castel ordered the Justice Department to preserve all records and communications with ICE regarding the May 2025 memo after the government’s disclosure. (cbsnews.com) The litigation was filed Aug. 1, 2025 by plaintiffs African Communities Together and The Door (S.D.N.Y. Case No. 1:25‑cv‑06366‑PKC), with representation by the New York Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU. (clearinghouse.net) The Department of Homeland Security issued a statement saying “There is no change in policy” and that ICE will continue arrests at immigration courts following proceedings. (cbsnews.com) Reporting and court filings place dozens-to-hundreds of arrests at immigration courthouses — including operations at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan — and the government has withdrawn or corrected portions of prior filings cited in the case (including parts of ECF Nos. 39, 66, 70 and 74). (documentedny.com)
