A court ruling in California has ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to refrain from arresting migrants in or near immigration courts, a move aimed at ensuring that people can attend their hearings without fear of arrest.
The measure was explained by lawyer Jordan Wells, who emphasized that the court order protects those who go to immigration proceedings in the courts of San Francisco, Sacramento and Concord, reported Telemundo.
“This means people can appear in immigration court without the constant fear that ICE will be waiting to arrest them,” the attorney said.
According to the judgment, the practice of making arrests in judicial spaces generates an intimidating effect, discourages the appearance of migrants and harms respect for the legal process.
Immigrant rights organizations welcomed the decision, saying courts should be safe places where people can follow the law without fear of immediate arrest.
Under Donald Trump’s administration, arrests of migrants have been reported outside hearings, prompting protests and denunciations from lawyers and activists, who call these practices abusive.
The court order only applies to certain California courts and does not represent federal policy, so ICE retains authority to make arrests in other settings and jurisdictions.
Also, legal experts consider that this judgment constitutes an important precedent which could be used in other States to challenge immigration arrests before the courts.
Meanwhile, lawyers recommend that migrants stay informed, attend their hearings accompanied and consult legal advocates about the impact of the measure in each case.
This week, theTrump administration also suffered a setback in Illinoisafter the Supreme Court rejected the president’s request to deploy National Guard troops during migration operations in the Chicago area.
California and Illinois, under Governors Gavin Newsom and JB Pritzker respectively, are the states that have the most opposition to the migration policy of the current US administration.
