A federal judge issued a stay preventing federal agents from arresting immigrants while they attend legally required immigration court hearings, including locations in Lower Manhattan. The order applies when the individuals have not committed a crime. Immigration advocates described the ruling as a major victory against courthouse arrests that they said created fear, discouraged court attendance, and undermined trust in the legal process. The stay followed an earlier federal court filing in which ICE admitted it lacked authority and jurisdiction to conduct immigration enforcement at immigration court facilities. Despite that admission, agents continued arrests in and around Federal Plaza and 290 Broadway, including an apprehension witnessed shortly before the stay took effect. Advocates called for full compliance, closure of the detention center at 26 Federal Plaza, and reunification of families separated through unlawful apprehensions.
"Judge Kevin Castel issued a stay on Monday, prohibiting federal agents from arresting immigrants as they attended their legally mandated court hearings, provided they have not committed a crime. The order covers immigration court facilities including Lower Manhattan’s Federal Plaza, where ICE activity has been concentrated. For immigration advocates, the ruling was described as a major victory aimed at preventing arbitrary apprehension within the 26 Federal Plaza area and the adjacent 290 Broadway hub."
"ICE's courthouse arrests have sown fear in New York's immigrant communities, discouraging people from showing up to court and undermining trust in the legal process by targeting individuals at the moment they are complying with federal law requirements. Every immigrant New Yorker deserves the ability to access immigration courts and navigate legal proceedings without fear of being unlawfully detained or separated from their family. Advocates said the order must be fully followed and that the detention center at 26 Federal Plaza must be closed."
"The legal stay barring ICE arrests in courts came about two months after the agency admitted in a federal court filing that the agency lacked the authority and jurisdiction to undertake immigration enforcement at immigration court facilities. That admission did not stop masked agents from continuing to stalk the halls of Federal Plaza and 290 Broadway and arrest immigrants attending court hearings there. An apprehension witnessed on May 18 occurred just hours before Castel's stay came down."
"Advocates called for immediate action after arrests during court appearances, saying people were unlawfully tricked and trapped at their court appearances. They demanded that all New Yorkers who were detained in that manner be immediately reunited with their families. The stay was framed as a safeguard to ensure court access and legal compliance without fear of detention inside courthouse settings."
Read at www.amny.com
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