Across the country during the week of May 19, federal immigration agents have been arresting migrants outside of immigration court, according to multiple reports. It’s the latest tactic by the Trump administration to increase deportation numbers.
During his 2024 campaign, President Donald Trump promised to deport large numbers of undocumented immigrants. However, various lawsuits have delayed or blocked these efforts..
Court cases dropped, arrests made immediately after
Immigration prosecutors have been told to drop certain immigration cases in court, and then federal agents arrest those individuals once they leave the courtroom, according to The Associated Press.
Usually, an immigration judge has to sign off on deportation orders. However, if prosecutors are dropping cases, this allows Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to arrest noncitizens. It’s a tactic that raises legal and ethical concerns, particularly regarding due process.
“This is a corruption of our immigration courts, transforming them from forums of justice into cogs in a mass deportation apparatus. The expansion of expedited removal strips more people of their right to a hearing,” American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) President Kelli Stump said in a statement.
Advocates say vulnerable migrants targeted
Immigration authorities are allegedly targeting individuals who haven’t committed any crimes. Many of those being detained do not have lawyers to help them, and some are actively trying to obtain asylum in the United States. These are typically more vulnerable individuals in the immigration system, according to AILA.
“Immigration courts are being weaponized, judges are coordinating with ICE to dismiss cases and immediately funnel individuals into the fast-track deportation pipeline known as expedited removal,” Stump said. “These are not fugitives. They are individuals, many who are seeking protection from torture in their countries, complying with the law.”
Protests erupt in Phoenix following arrests
Earlier in the week of May 19, federal police officers were seen arresting people outside a courthouse in downtown Phoenix, Arizona. Protesters attempted to block an ICE vehicle holding detainees.
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs reacted to the noncitizen arrests in a post on X.
“My office is in contact with DHS to gather more information,” Hobbs wrote. “We need to prioritize efforts to deport criminals and secure the border. Indiscriminately rounding up people following the rules won’t make us safer.”
Trump defends strategy, cites logistical limits
Trump criticized the number of trials that would be needed for all the noncitizens currently living in the United States.
“We cannot give everyone a trial, because to do so would take, without exaggeration, 200 years,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on April 21. “We would need hundreds of thousands of trials for the hundreds of thousands of illegals we are sending out of the country. Such a thing is not possible to do. What a ridiculous situation we are in.”
