A federal district judge in San Francisco issued a sweeping injunction on June 24, 2026 that bars Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers from detaining non-citizens in and around immigration courthouses anywhere in the United States. The 71-page decision found that a Trump-era policy—quietly revived in January 2025—violated the Administrative Procedure Act because ICE and the Executive Office for Immigration Review offered “no reasoned explanation” for expanding arrests at venues where migrants seek due-process relief. Judge P. Casey Pitts stressed that courthouse arrests had a chilling effect on migrants’ willingness to attend hearings, undercutting the justice system and hampering lawyers’ ability to represent clients. Civil-rights groups hailed the ruling as a victory for access to justice, while DHS General Counsel James Percival decried it as “naked judicial activism.” Practically, the injunction forces ICE field offices to revert to 2021 guidance that allowed courthouse arrests only in limited, threat-based circumstances approved by senior leadership. Employers should expect fewer surprise detentions that disrupt pending asylum or employment-based cases, but compliance teams must still track Notices to Appear and supervise workers whose cases remain active. The Biden and Trump campaigns immediately seized on the decision: Democrats framed it as restoring the rule of law, whereas Republicans vowed to appeal, underscoring how immigration enforcement continues to shape the 2026 election narrative. Human-resources managers are advised to update mobility policies and attorney engagement protocols to reflect the new enforcement landscape.
Source: ABC7 New York
