Federal Judges Accuse ICE of Defying Court Orders Amid Rapid Enforcement Expansion
Key Facts
- Federal prosecutions for impeding or assaulting federal officers have doubled to 655 since last summer.
- ICE has more than 22,000 officers and agents following a hiring surge of 13,000 new employees.
- Local police in Texas conducted over 733,000 searches on school-based license plate readers in one month, with hundreds of queries linked to immigration enforcement.
- The General Services Administration (GSA) bypassed standard procurement procedures for over 150 ICE facilities, citing 'unusual and compelling urgency.'
- ICE maintains an internal database of activists that includes names, photos, and license plate numbers of those monitoring enforcement actions.
Federal judges are increasingly citing the Trump administration for noncompliance and the "obfuscation" of legal proceedings as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) accelerates its national detention operations. Court records indicate that ICE has frequently transferred detainees across state lines to prevent them from filing habeas corpus petitions or meeting with legal counsel. In several instances, judges in Minnesota and New Mexico have ordered the immediate release of detainees, only for ICE to delay compliance for days or weeks, prompting threats of contempt of court against administration officials.
Historical Context
The Trump administration has significantly expanded ICE's operational capacity, utilizing approximately $80 billion in funding from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to increase the agency's size to 22,000 officers. This surge includes a non-public physical expansion of over 150 new office leases and facilities, many located near schools and medical centers. The administration justifies these measures as necessary to protect officers and address what it characterizes as an "invasion," while judicial officials argue the tactics undermine due process and constitutional protections.
Perspective Analysis
Sources: Reuters · The Guardian · Wired · Politico · The Hill | Aggregators: Memeorandum
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