US Courts Issue 4,400 Orders Declaring ICE Migrant Detentions Illegal

A Reuters investigation shows that since October, US courts have issued 4,400 orders stating that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has illegally detained migrants, though the practice continues.

These rulings represent a broad legal rebuke of the Trump administration's immigration enforcement. The administration has persisted in indefinitely detaining migrants even after courts deemed the policy unlawful. US District Judge Thomas Johnston from West Virginia, appointed by President George W. Bush, last week ordered the release of a detained Venezuelan and wrote: "It is appalling that the government insists that this court redefine the current law as clearly written or completely ignore it."

The orders largely concern the Trump administration's shift from nearly three decades of federal law interpretation allowing migrants already in the US to be released on bond pending immigration court cases. White House deputy spokesperson Abigail Jackson stated the administration "is working to legally implement President Trump's order to enforce federal immigration law."

ICE detentions this month reached about 68,000, a 75% increase from when Trump took office last year. Last week, a conservative US appeals court in New Orleans ruled in favor of the administration, overturning releases of two Mexican men. Appeals Court Judge Edith Jones wrote: "Simply because previous administrations did not fully use the law to detain people does not mean they lacked the authority to take further actions."

Other US appeals courts are expected to address the issue in coming weeks. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Trisha McLaughlin said the rise in lawsuits "is not surprising," especially after judges sought to block Trump's mass deportation mandate.