New York
Judge bans most arrests by federal agents in immigration courts
NEW YORK (AP) — Federal agents can no longer make arrests without exceptional circumstances in and around three Manhattan buildings where immigration proceedings occur, a judge ruled.
The decision by U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel on Monday brings an abrupt halt to a practice begun under the Trump administration that enabled agents to take into custody individuals who follow requirements to appear before immigration judges.
The arrests have resulted in dramatic scenes in courthouse hallways as those being detained were sometimes pulled away from emotional family members.
Castel said in a written decision that while there was “a strong governmental interest in enforcing immigration laws,” there also was a serious interest in letting individuals attend removal proceedings and pursue asylum claims before a judge “without fear of arrest.”
He noted that federal agents still can detain individuals at locations away from immigration courts and also can make arrests at immigration courthouses when there are serious threats to public safety.
He said the boundaries set out in federal policy five years ago can remain in effect, but a court case before him was likely to result in a finding that a withdrawal of that policy after President Donald Trump took office was “arbitrary and capricious.”
Castel also noted that government lawyers recently reversed their position, saying they’ve learned that 2025 policies regarding arrests in and around courthouses set by the Trump administration did not apply to immigration courts after all.
The judge, who last year had declined to ban the practice, said the new position by government lawyers meant it was necessary to “correct a clear error and prevent a manifest injustice.”
The ruling came in a lawsuit brought by the New York Civil Liberties Union, the American Civil Liberties Union, Make the Road NY and others.
It was praised by Amy Belsher, director of the NYCLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Litigation.
She called it “an enormous win for noncitizen New Yorkers seeking to safely attend their immigration court proceedings.”
The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement: “It is common sense to take illegal aliens into custody following the completion of their removal proceedings. Nothing prohibits arresting a lawbreaker where you find them. We are confident we will ultimately be vindicated in this case.”
A spokesperson for Justice Department lawyers declined comment.
Castel’s decision, which did not apply nationwide, pertained to immigration courts at 26 Federal Plaza, 201 Varick Street and 290 Broadway in Manhattan. New York’s FBI headquarters is also located at 26 Federal Plaza, a large building across from two federal courthouses near City Hall.
The organizations first brought the lawsuit last August on behalf of immigrant advocacy groups African Communities Together and The Door.
“In the face of this administration’s ongoing targeting of our young members, this decision brings us hope,” said Beth Baltimore, deputy director of The Door’s Legal Services Center.
“Our staff continues to work tirelessly to support Door members who were terrified to go to their required court appearances. We stand with our members to fight for those impacted by courthouse arrests, including those who remain detained, and other cruel policies,” Baltimore said in a release.
Washington
NAACP calls for boycott of Southern college sports programs over voting rights
WASHINGTON (AP) — The NAACP is calling on Black athletes and fans to boycott the athletic programs of public universities in states that are taking steps that the nation’s oldest civil rights group says are restricting Black voting rights.
Launched on Tuesday, the “Out of Bounds” campaign urges prospective Black athletes, their families, alumni and fans to “withhold athletic and financial support” from major public universities in states that “have moved to limit, weaken or erase Black voting representation.”
If Black athletes participate in the boycott, it could deplete rosters for powerhouse football and basketball programs across the Southeastern Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference.
The NAACP is among groups responding to a wave of gerrymandering in the aftermath of a Supreme Court ruling that winnowed a key provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
The boycott comes as civil rights activists have mobilized across the South to protest redistricting plans by Republican state legislatures that eliminate majority-Black congressional districts after the high court’s ruling. Activists have looked for pressure points to dissuade GOP-led states from redistricting maps, including calls for mass protests and economic boycotts.
“Across the South, Black athletes have helped build some of the most profitable college athletic programs in America,” said NAACP President Derrick Johnson. Johnson noted that the programs “generate hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenue, national television value, alumni donations, merchandising sales, ticket sales, and brand equity — much of it powered by Black football and basketball talent.”
The NAACP’s campaign calls out Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and South Carolina as states to boycott, arguing that the athletic programs of those states’ flagship universities are especially reliant on Black athletic talent and should protect Black political interests.
“Black athletes should not be asked to generate wealth, prestige, and power for state institutions while those same states strip political power from Black communities,” said Johnson.
Black lawmakers themselves are also putting pressure on athletic leagues to take action against Republican-led states that may redistrict longtime Black members of Congress.
The Congressional Black Caucus on Monday sent a letter to the commissioners of the SEC and ACC athletic conferences, as well as NCAA President Charlie Baker, that its members will oppose the SCORE Act, a bill to standardize athletes’ contracting rights across the country, unless conference leaders oppose GOP-led redistricting efforts in states that include major conference members.
“The Congressional Black Caucus believes institutions that profit from Black talent and Black communities have a responsibility to stand with those communities when their fundamental rights are under attack,” the CBC said in a Monday statement.
“Silence in the face of injustice is not neutrality — it is complicity.”
Judge bans most arrests by federal agents in immigration courts
NEW YORK (AP) — Federal agents can no longer make arrests without exceptional circumstances in and around three Manhattan buildings where immigration proceedings occur, a judge ruled.
The decision by U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel on Monday brings an abrupt halt to a practice begun under the Trump administration that enabled agents to take into custody individuals who follow requirements to appear before immigration judges.
The arrests have resulted in dramatic scenes in courthouse hallways as those being detained were sometimes pulled away from emotional family members.
Castel said in a written decision that while there was “a strong governmental interest in enforcing immigration laws,” there also was a serious interest in letting individuals attend removal proceedings and pursue asylum claims before a judge “without fear of arrest.”
He noted that federal agents still can detain individuals at locations away from immigration courts and also can make arrests at immigration courthouses when there are serious threats to public safety.
He said the boundaries set out in federal policy five years ago can remain in effect, but a court case before him was likely to result in a finding that a withdrawal of that policy after President Donald Trump took office was “arbitrary and capricious.”
Castel also noted that government lawyers recently reversed their position, saying they’ve learned that 2025 policies regarding arrests in and around courthouses set by the Trump administration did not apply to immigration courts after all.
The judge, who last year had declined to ban the practice, said the new position by government lawyers meant it was necessary to “correct a clear error and prevent a manifest injustice.”
The ruling came in a lawsuit brought by the New York Civil Liberties Union, the American Civil Liberties Union, Make the Road NY and others.
It was praised by Amy Belsher, director of the NYCLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Litigation.
She called it “an enormous win for noncitizen New Yorkers seeking to safely attend their immigration court proceedings.”
The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement: “It is common sense to take illegal aliens into custody following the completion of their removal proceedings. Nothing prohibits arresting a lawbreaker where you find them. We are confident we will ultimately be vindicated in this case.”
A spokesperson for Justice Department lawyers declined comment.
Castel’s decision, which did not apply nationwide, pertained to immigration courts at 26 Federal Plaza, 201 Varick Street and 290 Broadway in Manhattan. New York’s FBI headquarters is also located at 26 Federal Plaza, a large building across from two federal courthouses near City Hall.
The organizations first brought the lawsuit last August on behalf of immigrant advocacy groups African Communities Together and The Door.
“In the face of this administration’s ongoing targeting of our young members, this decision brings us hope,” said Beth Baltimore, deputy director of The Door’s Legal Services Center.
“Our staff continues to work tirelessly to support Door members who were terrified to go to their required court appearances. We stand with our members to fight for those impacted by courthouse arrests, including those who remain detained, and other cruel policies,” Baltimore said in a release.
Washington
NAACP calls for boycott of Southern college sports programs over voting rights
WASHINGTON (AP) — The NAACP is calling on Black athletes and fans to boycott the athletic programs of public universities in states that are taking steps that the nation’s oldest civil rights group says are restricting Black voting rights.
Launched on Tuesday, the “Out of Bounds” campaign urges prospective Black athletes, their families, alumni and fans to “withhold athletic and financial support” from major public universities in states that “have moved to limit, weaken or erase Black voting representation.”
If Black athletes participate in the boycott, it could deplete rosters for powerhouse football and basketball programs across the Southeastern Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference.
The NAACP is among groups responding to a wave of gerrymandering in the aftermath of a Supreme Court ruling that winnowed a key provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
The boycott comes as civil rights activists have mobilized across the South to protest redistricting plans by Republican state legislatures that eliminate majority-Black congressional districts after the high court’s ruling. Activists have looked for pressure points to dissuade GOP-led states from redistricting maps, including calls for mass protests and economic boycotts.
“Across the South, Black athletes have helped build some of the most profitable college athletic programs in America,” said NAACP President Derrick Johnson. Johnson noted that the programs “generate hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenue, national television value, alumni donations, merchandising sales, ticket sales, and brand equity — much of it powered by Black football and basketball talent.”
The NAACP’s campaign calls out Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and South Carolina as states to boycott, arguing that the athletic programs of those states’ flagship universities are especially reliant on Black athletic talent and should protect Black political interests.
“Black athletes should not be asked to generate wealth, prestige, and power for state institutions while those same states strip political power from Black communities,” said Johnson.
Black lawmakers themselves are also putting pressure on athletic leagues to take action against Republican-led states that may redistrict longtime Black members of Congress.
The Congressional Black Caucus on Monday sent a letter to the commissioners of the SEC and ACC athletic conferences, as well as NCAA President Charlie Baker, that its members will oppose the SCORE Act, a bill to standardize athletes’ contracting rights across the country, unless conference leaders oppose GOP-led redistricting efforts in states that include major conference members.
“The Congressional Black Caucus believes institutions that profit from Black talent and Black communities have a responsibility to stand with those communities when their fundamental rights are under attack,” the CBC said in a Monday statement.
“Silence in the face of injustice is not neutrality — it is complicity.”
