WASHINGTON, DC — The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) has sounded the alarm over a troubling increase in arrests conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at immigration court facilities nationwide. These actions, AILA officials say, represent a grave breach of fairness and due process in the U.S. immigration system.
In a strongly worded statement, AILA President Kelli Stump criticized ICE for targeting individuals who have complied with court appearances, describing the practice as “a flagrant betrayal of basic fairness.”
“People are following the rules by appearing in immigration court as promised when released from custody, doing exactly what the system demands, only to be arrested and detained because the government has reversed its stance on detention,” Stump said. “Immigration courts are being weaponized. Judges are reportedly coordinating with ICE to dismiss cases swiftly and funnel individuals into expedited removal—fast-track deportations that deny them a fair hearing.”
Stump highlighted disturbing reports, including one of a mother taken into custody outside the Baltimore immigration court while holding her infant just days old. “This is not law enforcement; this is cruelty disguised as policy,” she said.
According to AILA, these tactics not only fail to encourage compliance but actively discourage individuals from participating in the immigration process, thereby undermining the rule of law. “This approach corrupts our immigration courts, transforming them from venues of justice into components of a mass deportation machine,” Stump added.
The expansion of expedited removal procedures has further stripped many immigrants of their right to a hearing before a judge, contravening legal protections guaranteed by U.S. law.
“These arrests undermine the core American values of fairness, integrity, and justice,” Stump concluded. “What is needed are bipartisan solutions to build a functional and humane immigration system, not policies that tear it apart. Courts must remain places where justice is pursued—not perverted.”
Founded in 1946, AILA is a nonpartisan, nonprofit voluntary bar association representing over 16,000 immigration law practitioners. The organization provides continuing legal education, professional support, and advocacy for fair immigration policies.
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