A federal judge in New York has issued a ruling barring Immigration and Customs Enforcement from making most arrests at immigration courts in the state, delivering a significant legal setback to the Trump administration's expanded interior enforcement strategy. The order restricts agents from detaining individuals who are present at courthouses specifically to attend immigration proceedings.

The ruling marks a continuation of judicial pushback against the administration's decision to rescind longstanding policies that had designated courts, churches, schools, and hospitals as sensitive locations where immigration arrests were generally prohibited. The Trump administration reversed those guidelines early in the term, directing agents to pursue enforcement in a broader range of settings.

Immigration advocates who brought the challenge argued that conducting arrests at immigration courts creates a chilling effect, discouraging migrants — including those with pending legal cases — from appearing before judges. They contended that courthouse arrests undermine the integrity of the immigration court system itself by deterring voluntary compliance with scheduled hearings.

The Trump administration is expected to appeal the ruling. Administration officials have argued that limiting enforcement locations hampers agents' ability to locate and detain individuals who are in the country without legal status, and that no location should be categorically off-limits for lawful law enforcement activity.

The decision adds to a growing body of court orders constraining specific aspects of the administration's immigration enforcement agenda. Legal challenges to immigration policy have proceeded on multiple fronts, including cases involving DACA recipients and the broader question of which individuals are prioritized for removal.