A federal judge on Tuesday issued a nationwide block on ICE’s policy of arresting illegal aliens at courthouses.
California-based US District Judge Casey Pitts, a Biden appointee, ruled that ICE cannot detain illegal aliens at immigration courts.
The Supreme Court previously ruled that federal district courts lack the statutory authority to issue nationwide injunctions.
However, Judge Pitts says he was able to issue a nationwide injunction in this case because the plaintiffs satisfied the requirements for class certification.
In January 2025, President Trump signed an executive order called “Protecting the American People Against Invasion.”
“It is the policy of the United States to faithfully execute the immigration laws against all inadmissible and removable aliens, particularly those aliens who threaten the safety or security of the American people. Further, it is the policy of the United States to achieve the total and efficient enforcement of those laws, including through lawful incentives and detention capabilities,” Trump said in his executive order.
Judge Pitts vacated the Trump Administration’s policy targeting illegal aliens at courthouses.
“For 80 years, Congress has commanded federal agencies to think before they act,” Judge Pitts wrote in a 70-page opinion. That instruction—codified in the Administrative Procedures Act—does not require an agency to make the choice that a reviewing court might deem preferable.”
“Because the record before the Court demonstrates that ICE and EOIR failed to provide reasoned explanations for their actions, the Court concludes that each of the challenged policies is arbitrary and capricious in contravention of the APA,” the judge said.
This is the second time Judge Pitts has blocked the Trump Administration from making arrests at immigration courthouses.
Earlier this year, Judge Pitts blocked ICE from making arrests in his district in the Northern District of California.
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