ICE Courthouse Arrests Spark Class Action Over Due Process Violations
Federal lawsuit targets a wave of arrests and removals bypassing formal hearings, calling it a threat to immigration court integrity.
WASHNIGTON — Two immigration advocacy organizations filed a proposed class action lawsuit last week against multiple federal agencies, including the Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). The lawsuit challenges recent immigration enforcement policies that plaintiffs allege obstruct justice, violate due process, and unlawfully expedite the deportation of noncitizens.
The suit, brought by Immigrant Advocates Response Collaborative and American Gateways, centers on ICE’s revived practice of arresting individuals at or near immigration courthouses and DHS's guidance allowing for the expedited removal of noncitizens—without notice, consent, or opportunity for full removal proceedings.
Chilling Effect and Courtroom Raids
Plaintiffs argue that longstanding DHS and EOIR policies—formalized between 2021 and 2023—had strictly limited courthouse enforcement actions to exce…