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CBS News
3 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Legal advocates file lawsuit to stop large-scale immigration court arrests by ICE
A group of immigrants and legal advocates filed a class-action lawsuit Wednesday that seeks to stop Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers from arresting migrants who appear at immigration courts for previously scheduled hearings and placing them on a fast-track to deportation. The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against the Department of Homeland Security, Justice Department and ICE says the arrests of thousands of people at court have stripped them of rights afforded to them under U.S. immigration law and the Fifth Amendment. The large-scale immigration court arrests that began in May have unleashed fear among asylum-seekers and immigrants. In what has become a familiar scene, a judge will grant a government lawyer's request to dismiss deportation proceedings against an immigrant while ICE officers wait in the hallway to take them into custody. Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, one of the groups that filed the lawsuit, said the Trump administration is "weaponizing" immigration courts and chilling participation in the legal process. "People seeking refuge, safety, or relief should not be arrested, detained, and deported without a chance to be heard and given due process," Perryman said in a statement. Messages seeking comment from ICE, Homeland Security and the Justice Department were not immediately returned. The Executive Office for Immigration Review, which oversees the courts, declined to comment. President Donald Trump has pledged to deport the most dangerous criminals in the largest deportation program in American history to protect law-abiding citizens, but government data on the detentions show that the majority of people detained by ICE have no criminal convictions. The lawsuit represents 12 people who have been arrested at court hearings, along with the Immigrant Advocates Response Collaborative and American Gateways, which provide legal services to people who face potential arrest and deportation when they comply with their immigration proceedings by attending a court hearing. Some of the immigrants have lived in the United States for years and were separated from family members, some who were U.S. citizens, without notice, the lawsuit said. Others fled persecution in their home countries and requested asylum. But those requests were quashed when the government lawyer dismissed their case. Priyanka Gandhi-Abriano, interim CEO for Immigrant Advocates Response Collaborative, said the arrests are a deliberate attempt to intimidate people. "Our friends, neighbors, and families are told to 'do it the right way' — to follow the legal process," Gandhi-Abriano said in a statement. "They're doing just that — showing up to court, complying with the law. Despite this, they're being arrested and detained." Homeland Security officials have defended the practice, saying the Trump administration is implementing the rule of law after former President Joe Biden's "catch and release policy that allowed millions of unvetted illegal aliens to be let loose on American streets." They said if a person has a credible fear claim, they can continue in the immigration proceedings, but if not claim is found, they'll be subject to swift deportation. Keren Zwick, director of litigation at the National Immigrant Justice Center said, "We are witnessing an authoritarian takeover of the U.S. immigration court system by the Trump administration." The people attending the hearings to seek permission to stay in the U.S., but they're being rounded up and "abruptly ripped from their families, homes and livelihoods." "Meanwhile, the administration is issuing directives telling immigration judges to violate those same immigration laws and strip people of fundamental due process rights," Zwick said. "We must continue fighting to overcome the administration's escalating attacks on the U.S. Constitution and rule of law."
New York Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Immigrants File Class-Action Lawsuit to Stop ICE Courthouse Arrests
A coalition of legal groups representing immigrants filed a class-action lawsuit against the Trump administration on Wednesday, arguing that the federal government's campaign to arrest people at immigration courthouses so that they can be swiftly deported is unlawful and violates due process protections. The lawsuit, filed by Democracy Forward and three other legal organizations on behalf of 12 immigrants, aims to stop the arrests at immigration courts, a contentious tactic that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency began using in May to increase deportations nationwide. From New York to California, ICE agents have arrested immigrants appearing for routine proceedings at immigration courts, prompting criticism from Democrats and activists that ICE is unfairly targeting people who are following the rules by showing up to court. Federal agents, typically wearing masks, have become a mainstay in courthouse lobbies and hallways, where they have arrested scores of migrants who are leaving courtrooms and who are placed in expedited deportation proceedings that don't require hearings. The lawsuit was filed in the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia against the Department of Justice, which oversees the immigration courts; the Department of Homeland Security; and ICE. Several officials at federal agencies also were sued. The plaintiffs include 12 immigrants, identified only by pseudonyms, from Cuba, Ecuador, Guinea, Venezuela and elsewhere. Many had entered the country without authorization from 2021 to 2024 and had applied for asylum. They were arrested when they showed up at courthouses this year. Most are in detention — in New York, Pennsylvania and Texas — and fear persecution in their home countries, the lawsuit said. One immigrant was deported to Ecuador less than a month after he was arrested in June. 'Noncitizens, including most of the individual plaintiffs here, have been abruptly ripped from their families, lives, homes and jobs for appearing in immigration court, a step required to enable them to proceed with their applications for permission to remain in this country,' the lawsuit says. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
CTV News
4 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
U.S. federal lawsuit seeks to stop ICE agents from arresting people at immigration courts
Federal agents detain an individual outside an immigration court at the Jacob K. Javits federal building in New York on July 3, 2025. (Yuki Iwamura / AP Photo) A group immigrants and legal advocates filed a class-action lawsuit Wednesday that seeks to stop Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers from arresting migrants who appear at immigration courts for previously scheduled hearings and placing them on a fast-track to deportation. The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against the Department of Homeland Security, Justice Department and ICE says the arrests of thousands of people at court have stripped them of rights afforded to them under U.S. immigration law and the Fifth Amendment. The large-scale immigration court arrests that began in May have unleashed fear among asylum-seekers and immigrants. In what has become a familiar scene, a judge will grant a government lawyer's request to dismiss deportation proceedings against an immigrant while ICE officers wait in the hallway to take them into custody. Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, one of the groups that filed the lawsuit, said the Trump administration is 'weaponizing' immigration courts and chilling participation in the legal process. 'People seeking refuge, safety, or relief should not be arrested, detained, and deported without a chance to be heard and given due process," Perryman said in a statement. Messages seeking comment from ICE, Homeland Security and the Justice Department were not immediately returned. The Executive Office for Immigration Review, which oversees the courts, declined to comment. U.S. President Donald Trump has pledged to deport the most dangerous criminals in the largest deportation program in American history to protect law-abiding citizens, but government data on the detentions show that the majority of people detained by ICE have no criminal convictions. The lawsuit represents 12 people who have been arrested at court hearings, along with the Immigrant Advocates Response Collaborative and American Gateways, which provide legal services to people who face potential arrest and deportation when they comply with their immigration proceedings by attending a court hearing. Some of the immigrants have lived in the United States for years and were separated from family members, some who were U.S. citizens, without notice, the lawsuit said. Others fled persecution in their home countries and requested asylum. But those requests were quashed when the government lawyer dismissed their case. Priyanka Gandhi-Abriano, interim CEO for Immigrant Advocates Response Collaborative, said the arrests are a deliberate attempt to intimidate people. 'Our friends, neighbors, and families are told to 'do it the right way' — to follow the legal process," Gandhi-Abriano said in a statement. 'They're doing just that — showing up to court, complying with the law. Despite this, they're being arrested and detained.' Homeland Security officials have defended the practice, saying the Trump administration is implementing the rule of law after former President Joe Biden's 'catch and release policy that allowed millions of unvetted illegal aliens to be let loose on American streets.' They said if a person has a credible fear claim, they can continue in the immigration proceedings, but if not claim is found, they'll be subject to swift deportation. Keren Zwick, director of litigation at the National Immigrant Justice Center said, 'We are witnessing an authoritarian takeover of the U.S. immigration court system by the Trump administration.' The people attending the hearings to seek permission to stay in the U.S., but they're being rounded up and 'abruptly ripped from their families, homes and livelihoods.' 'Meanwhile, the administration is issuing directives telling immigration judges to violate those same immigration laws and strip people of fundamental due process rights,' Zwick said. 'We must continue fighting to overcome the administration's escalating attacks on the U.S. Constitution and rule of law.' Martha Bellisle, The Associated Press
Al Arabiya
4 days ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Federal lawsuit seeks to stop ICE agents from arresting people at immigration courts
A group of immigrants and legal advocates filed a class-action lawsuit Wednesday that seeks to stop Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers from arresting migrants who appear at immigration courts for previously scheduled hearings and placing them on a fast-track to deportation. The lawsuit filed in US District Court for the District of Columbia against the Department of Homeland Security, Justice Department, and ICE says the arrests of thousands of people at court have stripped them of rights afforded to them under US immigration law and the Fifth Amendment. The large-scale immigration court arrests that began in May have unleashed fear among asylum-seekers and immigrants. In what has become a familiar scene, a judge will grant a government lawyer's request to dismiss deportation proceedings against an immigrant, while ICE officers wait in the hallway to take them into custody. Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, one of the groups that filed the lawsuit, said the Trump administration is weaponizing immigration courts and chilling participation in the legal process. People seeking refuge, safety, or relief should not be arrested, detained, and deported without a chance to be heard and given due process, Perryman said in a statement. Messages seeking comment from ICE, Homeland Security, and the Justice Department were not immediately returned. The Executive Office for Immigration Review, which oversees the courts, declined to comment. President Donald Trump has pledged to deport the most dangerous criminals in the largest deportation program in American history to protect law-abiding citizens, but government data on the detentions show that the majority of people detained by ICE have no criminal convictions. The lawsuit represents 12 people who have been arrested at court hearings, along with the Immigrant Advocates Response Collaborative and American Gateways, which provide legal services to people who face potential arrest and deportation when they comply with their immigration proceedings by attending a court hearing. Some of the immigrants have lived in the United States for years and were separated from family members, some who were US citizens, without notice, the lawsuit said. Others fled persecution in their home countries and requested asylum, but those requests were quashed when the government lawyer dismissed their case. Priyanka Gandhi-Abriano, interim CEO for Immigrant Advocates Response Collaborative, said the arrests are a deliberate attempt to intimidate people. 'Our friends, neighbors, and families are told to do it the right way – to follow the legal process,' Gandhi-Abriano said in a statement. 'They're doing just that – showing up to court, complying with the law. Despite this, they're being arrested and detained.' Homeland Security officials have defended the practice, saying the Trump administration is implementing the rule of law after former President Joe Biden's catch and release policy that allowed millions of unvetted illegal aliens to be let loose on American streets. They said if a person has a credible fear claim, they can continue in the immigration proceedings, but if not claim is found, they'll be subject to swift deportation. Keren Zwick, director of litigation at the National Immigrant Justice Center, said, 'We are witnessing an authoritarian takeover of the US immigration court system by the Trump administration. The people attending the hearings to seek permission to stay in the US, but they're being rounded up and abruptly ripped from their families, homes, and livelihoods. Meanwhile, the administration is issuing directives telling immigration judges to violate those same immigration laws and strip people of fundamental due process rights,' Zwick said. 'We must continue fighting to overcome the administration's escalating attacks on the US Constitution and rule of law.'
The Independent
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Federal lawsuit seeks to stop ICE agents from arresting people at immigration courts
A group immigrants and legal advocates filed a class-action lawsuit Wednesday that seeks to stop Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers from arresting migrants who appear at immigration courts for previously scheduled hearings and placing them on a fast-track to deportation. The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against the Department of Homeland Security, Justice Department and ICE says the arrests of thousands of people at court have stripped them of rights afforded to them under U.S. immigration law and the Fifth Amendment. The large-scale immigration court arrests that began in May have unleashed fear among asylum-seekers and immigrants. In what has become a familiar scene, a judge will grant a government lawyer's request to dismiss deportation proceedings against an immigrant while ICE officers wait in the hallway to take them into custody. Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, one of the groups that filed the lawsuit, said the Trump administration is 'weaponizing' immigration courts and chilling participation in the legal process. 'People seeking refuge, safety, or relief should not be arrested, detained, and deported without a chance to be heard and given due process," Perryman said in a statement. Messages seeking comment from ICE, Homeland Security and the Justice Department were not immediately returned. The Executive Office for Immigration Review, which oversees the courts, declined to comment. President Donald Trump has pledged to deport the most dangerous criminals in the largest deportation program in American history to protect law-abiding citizens, but government data on the detentions show that the majority of people detained by ICE have no criminal convictions. The lawsuit represents 12 people who have been arrested at court hearings, along with the Immigrant Advocates Response Collaborative and American Gateways, which provide legal services to people who face potential arrest and deportation when they comply with their immigration proceedings by attending a court hearing. Some of the immigrants have lived in the United States for years and were separated from family members, some who were U.S. citizens, without notice, the lawsuit said. Others fled persecution in their home countries and requested asylum. But those requests were quashed when the government lawyer dismissed their case. Priyanka Gandhi-Abriano, interim CEO for Immigrant Advocates Response Collaborative, said the arrests are a deliberate attempt to intimidate people. 'Our friends, neighbors, and families are told to 'do it the right way' — to follow the legal process," Gandhi-Abriano said in a statement. 'They're doing just that — showing up to court, complying with the law. Despite this, they're being arrested and detained.' Homeland Security officials have defended the practice, saying the Trump administration is implementing the rule of law after former President Joe Biden 's 'catch and release policy that allowed millions of unvetted illegal aliens to be let loose on American streets.' They said if a person has a credible fear claim, they can continue in the immigration proceedings, but if not claim is found, they'll be subject to swift deportation. Keren Zwick, director of litigation at the National Immigrant Justice Center said, 'We are witnessing an authoritarian takeover of the U.S. immigration court system by the Trump administration.' The people attending the hearings to seek permission to stay in the U.S., but they're being rounded up and 'abruptly ripped from their families, homes and livelihoods.' 'Meanwhile, the administration is issuing directives telling immigration judges to violate those same immigration laws and strip people of fundamental due process rights,' Zwick said. "We must continue fighting to overcome the administration's escalating attacks on the U.S. Constitution and rule of law.'
