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Federal judge blocks Trump policy that allows immigration court arrests
The Guardian • • general
Key Points:
- A federal judge in California vacated Trump administration policies that expanded arrests at immigration courthouses and extended detention times for noncitizens in short-term facilities, ruling them "arbitrary and capricious."
- US District Judge P. Casey Pitts reinstated Biden-era limits, restricting courthouse arrests to narrow circumstances and capping short-term detentions at 12 hours, overturning policies that allowed up to 72-hour detentions.
- The ruling came from a case involving an asylum seeker arrested after a routine hearing and criticized the Trump administration for failing to provide adequate justification for policy changes under the Administrative Procedure Act.
- The Department of Homeland Security’s general counsel condemned the decision as "naked judicial activism" promoting an "open borders agenda."
- The judge emphasized that federal agencies must provide reasoned explanations for policy changes, citing an 80-year-old legal requirement for thoughtful agency action.
