A federal judge in California, P. Casey Pitts, appointed by President Joe Biden, issued a nationwide injunction against policies from the Trump administration that permitted Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests at immigration courthouses and extended the detention time for immigration detainees. The ruling, which spans 71 pages, concluded that the policies violated the Administrative Procedure Act due to insufficient justification for abandoning previous restrictions on courthouse arrests and detention practices.
Judge Pitts found that ICE and the Executive Office for Immigration Review did not adequately explain their rationale for rescinding prior policies that limited arrests at courthouses. The practice of courthouse arrests had increased significantly after a policy update by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) last year, which allowed ICE agents to detain individuals appearing before immigration judges. Critics, including immigration advocates and some lawmakers, argue that such tactics deter migrants from attending court proceedings.
The ruling also invalidated a separate ICE policy that lifted the agency's 12-hour limit on detention in short-term holding facilities, allowing detainees to remain for up to 72 hours. Pitts determined that ICE did not sufficiently consider alternatives to extended detention and failed to address the appropriateness of using short-term facilities for longer stays.
This decision follows a similar ruling by U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel in New York, who also blocked immigration courthouse arrests, citing arbitrary and capricious actions by the administration. As of the evening of June 23, 2026, DHS had not announced plans to appeal the ruling but is expected to seek emergency review from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.