A federal judge in Manhattan delivered a significant blow to Trump administration immigration enforcement, blocking ICE agents from conducting civil arrests at immigration courthouses after government lawyers admitted making false statements to defend the policy in court.

Court Reverses Earlier Decision After False Claims

U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel ruled Monday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers must temporarily return to narrower Biden-era restrictions on courthouse arrests while a lawsuit proceeds. The decision reverses Castel’s earlier 2025 ruling that declined to halt the policy. The turnaround came after Justice Department lawyers informed the court in March that they needed to correct prior claims about a May 2025 ICE courthouse enforcement memo. The government later acknowledged the guidance never applied to immigration courts, contradicting their previous testimony.

Judge Castel stated the government’s reversal justified revisiting his earlier ruling to correct a clear error and prevent manifest injustice. He found plaintiffs likely to succeed in arguing the administration acted arbitrarily when it rescinded a 2021 ICE policy restricting courthouse arrests without adequately explaining how the new policy applied to immigration courts. The judge emphasized his ruling does not fully prohibit courthouse arrests. ICE may still conduct enforcement actions involving national security threats, imminent violence, hot pursuit situations, or threats to criminal evidence.

Immigrant Rights Groups Celebrate Decision

Amy Belsher, director of immigrants’ rights litigation at the New York Civil Liberties Union, called the ruling an enormous win for noncitizen New Yorkers seeking to safely attend their immigration court proceedings. The decision affects several Manhattan immigration courthouses where ICE had expanded enforcement operations under Trump administration policies. The Department of Homeland Security and ICE did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the ruling or how it will affect their enforcement operations going forward.

What This Means For Immigration Enforcement

The ruling represents a temporary setback for the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement strategy. The government’s admission of making material misstatements proved decisive in changing the judge’s position. While ICE retains authority to make arrests involving serious threats, the return to Biden-era courthouse restrictions limits broader civil enforcement actions at immigration court facilities. The broader lawsuit continues, meaning the policy could face additional legal challenges. The case highlights ongoing tensions between expanded immigration enforcement and concerns about deterring immigrants from attending required court proceedings.