Story perspectives

Judge Bars Immigration Court Arrests at NYC Federal Buildings

5/19/2026

Summary

Story summary

District Judge P. Kevin Castel ruled the practice of arresting noncitizens at immigration courts unlawful.
He barred agents from arrests at 26 Federal Plaza, 201 Varick Street, 290 Broadway.
NY Civil Liberties Union, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Make the Road NY filed the suit for groups.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said taking illegal aliens into custody after removal proceedings is necessary and nothing forbids arresting a lawbreaker.

History

Historical Context

The 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, signed by President Bill Clinton, expanded mandatory detention, raising the detainee count from 8,500 in 1996 to 16,000 by 1998. Decades of ICE-run arrests culminated in a 2024 ruling by Judge P. Kevin Castel, after an ACLU-NYCLU suit, that bars DHS agents from making arrests at New York’s Federal Plaza and Broadway.

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Story summary

District Judge P. Kevin Castel ruled the practice of arresting noncitizens at immigration courts unlawful.
He barred agents from arrests at 26 Federal Plaza, 201 Varick Street, 290 Broadway.
NY Civil Liberties Union, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Make the Road NY filed the suit for groups.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said taking illegal aliens into custody after removal proceedings is necessary and nothing forbids arresting a lawbreaker.

1 / 2