They Thought It Was a Safe Haven. Instead, It Was an Ambush. Lawsuit Slams Trump Admin for Courthouse Arrests.
Lawsuit Alleges Coordinated 'Trap' for Immigrants Seeking Legal Protection
A bombshell class-action lawsuit was filed Wednesday against the Trump administration, accusing federal agencies of a shocking betrayal of the justice system. The suit alleges that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) collaborated in a calculated scheme to arrest and deport immigrants who showed up for their own hearings in what are supposed to be neutral immigration courts.
Filed on behalf of twelve immigrants, the lawsuit paints a grim picture of a coordinated ambush. A powerful coalition of legal advocacy groups, including the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Legal Education and Services (RAICES) and the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC), is spearheading the legal challenge. They argue that this practice turns courthouses—traditionally seen as safe havens for legal proceedings—into traps for the very people the system is meant to serve.
Many of the individuals at the heart of the case are among the most vulnerable. The majority of the plaintiffs were reportedly seeking asylum in the United States to escape harrowing circumstances in their home countries, including persecution based on their sexual orientation and the threat of female genital mutilation. For them, attending a court hearing was a mandatory step in their quest for safety, but it allegedly became the moment their hopes were extinguished.
According to the legal filing, this alarming trend began in May, with federal agents conducting seemingly coordinated arrests at immigration courts from coast to coast, including in New York, Arizona, and Washington state. The practice sparked immediate outrage and protests, culminating in a notable incident the following month where New York City Comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander was arrested while participating in a demonstration against these courthouse operations.
The lawsuit contends that this policy is not only cruel but fundamentally undermines the integrity of the U.S. immigration system. By creating an atmosphere of fear, advocates argue, the administration deters immigrants from pursuing their legal rights and engaging with the judicial process. The class-action suit seeks to halt the practice, which it claims could have already impacted thousands of people who were arrested simply for trying to follow the law.
