DOJ admits using erroneous ICE memo to justify immigration courthouse arrests
Mar 26, 2026·Location: New York, NY
Country of origin: Venezuela

The Department of Justice admitted in federal court that it misrepresented a 2025 ICE memo to justify arrests of immigrants at immigration courthouses nationwide. The DOJ conceded the memo does not actually apply to civil immigration enforcement in federal immigration courts. The error, attributed to an agency attorney, led to hundreds of arrests at immigration courts, often resulting in detentions in facilities far from immigrants' locations. Civil rights organizations filed a lawsuit challenging the arrests, and the government acknowledged the arrests continued despite the misapplication of the guidance.
Timeline
Sources
- DOJ admits ICE courthouse arrests relied on erroneous information
NPR·Mar 26, 2026·archived copy
KNPR·Mar 26, 2026·archived copy
mainepublic.org·Mar 26, 2026·archived copy
- Justice Department tells judge it incorrectly used ICE memo to justify immigration court arrests
- Trump administration says it made error in ICE arrests at courthouses
upi.com·Mar 26, 2026·archived copy
- DOJ says it made 'error' in justifying immigration court arrests with ICE memo
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