Biden-appointed judge ripped after blocking ICE arrests at immigration courts

Published June 23, 2026 9:32pm ET



A California federal judge appointed by former President Joe Biden drew backlash Tuesday evening after issuing a nationwide injunction blocking Trump administration policies that allowed Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests at immigration courthouses and expanded the amount of time immigration detainees can be held in short-term detention facilities.

U.S. District Judge P. Casey Pitts of the Northern District of California ruled that the policies violated the Administrative Procedure Act because federal agencies failed to adequately explain their decision to abandon earlier restrictions on courthouse arrests and detention practices. Pitts vacated the policies nationwide in a 71-page opinion.

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