Judge blocks Trump policy telling immigration courts to quickly dismiss cases

Published September 12, 2025 5:18pm ET



A federal judge halted a Trump administration policy on Friday that ordered immigration judges to dismiss cases quickly to allow for the illegal immigrants to be picked up by federal immigration officers after hearings.

U.S. District Judge Kevin Castel ruled that the Trump administration’s policies for arresting illegal immigrants at courthouses are not unlawful. However, he did rule that the immigrant advocate groups suing showed the necessary harm to halt a May Justice Department directive to immigration judges to allow for the speedy dismissal of immigration cases the government asks to dismiss so that federal immigration officers can make quick arrests.

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