ICE's New Courthouse Immigrant Arrest Operations Could Cause Controversy, Experts Warn

The Trump administration has intensified its crackdown on immigration, introducing a controversial tactic that targets asylum seekers after their court hearings.

The strategy has pushed arrests by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) past 100,000.

In the first 100 days of US President Donald Trump, ICE averaged 660 immigrant arrests per day. That figure has now surged to 2,000 daily arrests, fuelled by this latest move.

Experts are warning that the tactic could trigger legal and ethical backlash.

ICE Targets Asylum Seekers After Court

According to Fox News, ICE's new focus is on asylum seekers who have been in the US for less than two years.

Backed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the aim is to drastically reduce the number of undocumented migrants in the country.

Anonymous ICE sources claim the goal is to fast-track deportations by detaining migrants after their asylum cases are dismissed.

This allows the agency to bypass further hearings and remove individuals quickly.

However, ICE cannot proceed if a migrant's court case is still active.

That is where concerns grow deeper. Some reports suggest DHS officials are quietly working to get these cases dismissed, potentially with the help of cooperative judges.

Critics warn that this undermines the justice system and may discourage asylum seekers from attending hearings at all.

Legal Migrants Caught in the Crossfire

Legal experts caution that the courthouse tactic could lead to wrongful detentions. Migrants with no criminal record, including those in the process of gaining legal status, may be caught in the dragnet.

'This will only deter people from showing up to court,' one immigration attorney warned. 'It creates a climate of fear and mistrust.'

The new approach has raised alarm among human rights advocates, who argue it breaches due process and threatens vulnerable individuals who are legally entitled to have their cases heard.

Human Rights Groups Speak Out

Michelle Brané, executive director of Together and Free, condemned the tactic in an interview with ABC News.

Dismissals used to be good news,' she said. 'Now they're being used as traps. It's playing dirty.'

Brané accused ICE of waiting outside courtrooms to detain asylum seekers the moment their cases are dropped, stripping them of any chance to fight legally.

Priscilla Olivarez, an attorney with the Immigrant Legal Resource Centre, described witnessing ICE agents zip-tie a mother and her young children during a courthouse raid.

'This is a coordinated campaign of fear,' she said. 'It's designed to intimidate immigrant communities and undermine constitutional rights.'

Public Backlash Grows

Footage of these courthouse arrests is now circulating online, sparking heated debate. Many Americans are questioning whether ICE's tactic aligns with US values of fairness and due process.

While the Trump administration insists the move is about law enforcement, critics argue it marks a dangerous shift — one that treats the courtroom as a trap rather than a place of justice.