Judge Blocks ICE Agents From Conducting Arrests at Immigration Courts in New York

The judge said ICE agents are only allowed to make arrests at immigration courts when there are ‘serious threats of physical harm to public safety.’

A federal officer stands by in a hallway at New York Federal Plaza Immigration Court inside the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building in New York City on Oct. 1, 2025. Charly Triballeau / AFP via Getty Images

A federal judge issued a ruling on May 18 barring federal agents from conducting arrests at three immigration courts in the New York City borough of Manhattan, except in limited circumstances.

The ruling by Judge P. Kevin Castel of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York stemmed from a lawsuit filed by the New York Civil Liberties Union and other groups on behalf of The Door and African Communities Together, which sought to challenge U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) policies that allow federal agents to arrest people in immigration courts.