(NEW YORK CITY) New data shows New York City leads the nation in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) courthouse arrests. Since January 2025, officers have arrested 2,365 people in the New York area, more than half without prior criminal charges or convictions in the city.
The surge grew after mid-May 2025, when ICE began systematic arrests at or near immigration courts. What started with people whose cases were dismissed now includes some with pending cases, drawing protests and legal challenges.
New York City at the center
Officials and advocates confirm the scale. ICE arrests in New York since January total 2,365, with over 50% involving people who had no criminal record. The arrests concentrate around immigration courts, making courthouse arrests a daily fear for many families.
Court data also shows how docket size drives foot traffic. In July 2025:
– Queens recorded 107,603 immigration court cases active or processed.
– Kings County (Brooklyn) had 85,326.
Together, those two counties account for over 190,000 cases in 2025, among the highest in the country. With so many people required to appear, enforcement in New York City has the largest impact.
What changed and when
- Beginning mid-May 2025, ICE focused first on people whose cases had just been dismissed by immigration judges. That timing allowed expedited removal.
- Over time, officers expanded operations to include some people with pending cases.
Advocates say this blurs the line between a court’s role to decide cases and an enforcement strategy that uses courts as arrest points. Coverage has spread across the country, with more than 120 media reports since May.
The policy backdrop
On January 21, 2025, ICE issued interim guidance called “Enforcement Actions in or Near Protected Areas.” It lists immigration courts as protected areas but allows certain actions in specific circumstances. Despite that guidance, arrests have increased in New York City and at least 20 other major cities, including Atlanta, Boston, Los Angeles, Miami, and Seattle, with New York leading in volume.
Advocacy groups, including the American Immigration Council and LatinoJustice PRLDEF, filed Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests seeking internal communications between ICE and the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). They want to know whether agencies coordinate to speed deportations at the expense of due process. Those requests, filed in late July 2025, could shape upcoming lawsuits and policy debates.
Due process and daily life
People coming to court—whether for a first hearing or a closing one—now face the risk of arrest and fast removal. Even those without criminal histories are not exempt.
Arrests at courthouses can:
– Interrupt access to lawyers
– Make it harder to present evidence
– Split families without warning
The effect reaches far beyond the courtroom. Families and communities experience heightened fear and uncertainty. Advocates in New York City say many immigrants now weigh the risk of showing up for a hearing against the fear of detention—a choice no court system should force.
Arrests at courthouses can interrupt access to lawyers, make it harder to present evidence, and split families without warning.
How institutions respond
- Advocates and immigrant rights groups
- Stand outside court buildings
- Accompany people to hearings
- Document arrests and help families when someone is detained
- Clergy and political leaders
- Have condemned the practice and called for transparency from ICE and EOIR
- ICE and EOIR
- Maintain that courthouse arrests are lawful and necessary parts of immigration enforcement
- Had not rolled back the approach as of August 2025
Nationally, Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) continues field activity while its headquarters lists public contacts for reports and tips. For official information on ERO, see the ICE website: https://www.ice.gov/ero.
Expert views and political context
Legal scholars warn that courthouse arrests undermine fairness, especially when they target people with no criminal records. Some compare the pattern to mass deportation tactics used under President Trump, arguing current enforcement echoes that strategy.
Others point to the tension between federal enforcement goals and a court’s duty to ensure people can see a judge and speak with a lawyer. According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, the public reaction since May 2025 reflects that same tension: a steady stream of protests, news coverage, and formal records requests aimed at pulling back the curtain on how decisions are made.
While ICE leadership defends the legality of the arrests, critics say the costs to families and due process are too high.
Why New York City leads
- Large docket and dense schedules draw thousands to court each week.
- Multiple court sites and heavy calendars in Queens and Brooklyn concentrate many people in one place.
- National monitors report courthouse arrests in at least 20 major cities, but the numbers in New York City are the highest, matching its case volume and the size of its immigrant communities.
What to watch next
- Results of the late July FOIA requests by the American Immigration Council and LatinoJustice PRLDEF, which could reveal internal policies and shape litigation.
- Ongoing data from independent trackers, including TRAC, on court backlogs and enforcement trends through 2025.
- Whether protests and local pressure change how ICE and EOIR operate in and around courts in New York City and other cities.
Practical steps for people with hearings
The facts above point to simple steps that can reduce confusion and help families plan:
- Do not go alone. Advocacy groups in New York City often accompany people to court, document what happens, and support families if an arrest occurs.
- Keep documents ready. People whose cases are pending or dismissed have been targeted. Bring your court notice and lawyer’s contact information so your family can reach counsel quickly if needed.
- Plan for childcare and emergency contacts. Families report sudden disruptions when a parent is detained at court.
- Know public contacts. ICE’s ERO headquarters lists a public hotline: 1-866-347-2423.
These steps do not remove risk, but they can make it easier to respond if something happens at or near court.
The bottom line
- New York City is the nation’s leading location for ICE courthouse arrests in 2025.
- Since January, 2,365 people have been arrested in the area; more than half had no prior charges or convictions in New York.
This Article in a Nutshell
New York City leads the nation in ICE courthouse arrests, with 2,365 detentions since January 2025. Mid-May tactics shifted arrests from dismissed cases to some pending hearings. Families face interrupted lawyer access, fast removals, and fear. Advocacy groups filed late-July 2025 FOIA requests seeking internal ICE–EOIR communications to assess coordination and due process.
