Statement on New Court Directive Requiring Judicial Warrants for ICE Arrests in Courthouses

The New York City Bar Association applauds the issuance of a court directive by the Office of Court Administration requiring that arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in courthouses be supported by a judicial warrant or order. We and many others, including district attorneys, policy makers and advocates, have been urging that the increasing number of ICE civil arrests in New York State courthouses threatens access to justice and undermines the values of due process and federalism enshrined in the Constitution. Requiring judicial warrants for ICE arrests in courthouses will go a long way towards ameliorating the well-documented harmful effects of ICE enforcement actions in courthouses.