Federal Judge Halts Most ICE Arrests At Manhattan Immigration Courts

NEW YORK, NY— A federal judge ordered U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to temporarily stop most arrests at 26 Federal Plaza and two other Manhattan immigration courts, delivering a major victory for immigrant rights groups challenging courthouse detentions.

Judge P. Kevin Castel of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York issued the 15-page order Monday, reversing an earlier decision that allowed the arrests to continue while litigation moved forward.

The ruling sharply limits ICE’s ability to detain people attending immigration hearings.

Under the order, federal agents may only conduct arrests at immigration courts under specific emergency conditions, including “imminent risk of death, violence or physical harm.”

The decision follows nearly a year of legal challenges filed by immigrant advocacy organizations African Communities Together and The Door, which sued ICE and the Department of Justice over arrests targeting immigrants attending mandatory court appearances.

Advocates said the enforcement practices turned Manhattan immigration courts into centers of fear for immigrants seeking to comply with court orders.

“For nearly a year, countless immigrant New Yorkers have been arrested simply for attending their court hearings at 26 Federal Plaza,” Harold Solis, an attorney for Make the Road New York, said in a statement. “Our clients tried to put a stop to this last year but were denied preliminary relief — based on what the government recently acknowledged was false information.”

The ruling came nearly two months after Trump administration attorneys acknowledged they had incorrectly interpreted a May 2025 guidance memo used to justify the expanded courthouse arrests.

The arrests contributed to a 212 percent increase in ICE arrests involving people who were not already in jail or detention since the start of President Donald Trump’s second administration, according to court documents.

Castel wrote that The Door, which provides legal services to immigrant youth, demonstrated that its clients faced harm by attending court hearings where they risked “on-the-spot arrest” or avoiding court appearances altogether and receiving default removal orders.

The Department of Homeland Security defended the enforcement actions in a statement to Documented.

“Nothing prohibits arresting a lawbreaker where you find them,” an unnamed spokesperson said. “We are confident we will ultimately be vindicated in this case.”

The order follows reports of public arrests inside immigration courthouses and allegations of overcrowded holding conditions for detainees at 26 Federal Plaza.

Last summer, a leaked video from inside a courthouse holding room captured one detained man speaking in Spanish: “Look how they have us, like dogs in here.”

Solis said the ruling leaves unresolved questions for immigrants already detained, deported or ordered removed after avoiding court appearances out of fear of arrest.

Immigration enforcement activity in New York City surged in 2025, with arrests and jail detainers reaching their highest levelsin at least three years, according to a Patch analysis of ICE data compiled by the Deportation Data Project.

Arrests in the New York City area more than doubled between September 2023 and mid-October 2025, rising from roughly 2,300 to more than 5,000.

Year-over-year figures show arrests increased by about 58 percent in 2025 compared with the prior year, while detainers rose far more sharply, increasing by approximately 314 percent.