Two immigration advocacy organizations filed a class-action lawsuit arguing the arrests were unconstitutional and deterred immigrants from attending mandatory hearings.
A federal judge on Tuesday in California ruled against the practice of U.S. Immigration and Enforcement agents making arrests inside immigration courts.
As part of the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration, the guidelines for civil arrests inside courthouses were relaxed, and there was a surge in ICE agents detaining suspects who were showing up for routine hearings and check-ins, the New York Times reported.
Two immigration advocacy organizations filed a class-action lawsuit arguing the arrests were unconstitutional and deterred immigrants from attending mandatory hearings.
In his decision, Judge P. Casey Pitts of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ruled that federal officials violated a key stature governing administrative procedures when the guidelines for these arrests were changed.
Pitts called them "arbitrary and capricious" as immigration officials hadn't considered alternative options. He also noted that federal officials dismissed their own previous concerns that these arrests would deter immigrants from attending hearings.
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