Overview
- U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel issued a stay that largely prohibits Immigration and Customs Enforcement from making civil arrests at 26 Federal Plaza, 201 Varick Street and 290 Broadway, a ruling issued Monday that pauses the Trump-era practice while the lawsuit proceeds.
- The court acted after Justice Department lawyers acknowledged a material error, saying a May 2025 ICE guidance the government relied on never applied to immigration courts and undercut the policy defense.
- Castel allowed narrow exceptions for arrests tied to imminent threats to life, serious public-safety or national-security risks, destruction of evidence, or hot pursuit, and he required agencies to follow those limits at the three sites.
- The Department of Homeland Security and ICE disputed the ruling and signaled an appeal, and reports that agents arrested a 21-year-old at 26 Federal Plaza the day after the stay before releasing him have raised immediate questions about on-the-ground compliance and prompted monitoring by advocates and lawmakers.
- Advocates say the courthouse arrests had deterred immigrants from attending required hearings and risked depriving people of due process, and the pending Administrative Procedure Act challenge could shape enforcement at other courts and affect whether detained people are reunited or released.