Mind Blowing ICE Corruption As DOJ Admits ICE Lied About Authority To Arrest Immigrants At Court
The DOJ has admitted in a letter that ICE lied about having the authority to arrest immigrants at immigration courts. This is widespread and systemic illegality and corruption.
Do you remember all of the pictures and videos of immigrants showing up at immigration court for their hearings and being taken away by ICE?
At the time, immigration legal experts were emphatic that what ICE was doing was not legal.
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After a year of this behavior, the Department of Justice has admitted that ICE lied about its legal authority to conduct these arrests and detentions.
This letter really must be seen.
The DOJ wrote to US District Judge P. Kevin Castel to inform him that the ICE lied to the DOJ about its authorization:
This Office represents defendants (the “Government”) in the above-referenced Administrative Procedure Act (“APA”) case commenced by plaintiffs African Communities Together and The Door (“Plaintiffs”).
We write respectfully and regrettably to correct a material mistaken statement of fact that the Government made to the Court and Plaintiffs. Specifically, this morning, counsel from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) informed the undersigned of the following: the memorandum entitled Civil Immigration Enforcement Actions in or Near Courthouses, dated May 27, 2025 – which the Government relied on in presenting its arguments in this case and referred to as the “2025 ICE Guidance” – does not and has never applied to civil immigration enforcement actions in or near Executive Office for Immigration Review (“EOIR”) immigration courts.
Attached to this letter is an e-mail memorandum dated March 19, 2026 (which the undersigned attorneys also received for the first time today) that was sent to ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations personnel as a “reminder that the May 27, 2025, Guidance does not apply to Executive Office for Immigration Review (Immigration) courts, regardless of their location.” See Ex. A (emphasis in original).
In light of the fact that the 2025 ICE Guidance does not apply to immigration court arrests, the Government withdraws those portions of its briefs (ECF Nos. 39, 66, 70 and 74) and the statements made at the September 2, 2025 oral argument that relied on the 2025 ICE Guidance to correct the record before the Court.
The DOJ goes on to apologize to the court but also says that none of this affects the validity of the arrests and detentions that occurred in immigration courts.
Let’s get into what is so mindblowing about this.
