WASHINGTON, DC — The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) is sounding the alarm over a sharp increase in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests at immigration courts nationwide, calling the trend a violation of due process and a betrayal of trust in the legal system.
AILA President Kelli Stump condemned the arrests, stating that individuals who comply with court orders are being unfairly targeted.
“This is a flagrant betrayal of basic fairness,” Stump said. “People are appearing in court as required, only to be arrested because the government has reversed its stance on detention. Immigration courts are being weaponized—judges are dismissing cases and funneling people into expedited removal, bypassing due process.”
Stump emphasized that many of those detained are asylum seekers fleeing persecution, not fugitives evading the law. Reports include a mother being arrested outside a Baltimore courtroom while holding her newborn.
“This isn’t law enforcement; it’s cruelty disguised as policy,” Stump said. “If the goal is court compliance, these tactics backfire by instilling fear and eroding trust in the system.”
She warned that the practice undermines the integrity of immigration courts, turning them into “cogs in a mass deportation apparatus” rather than forums for justice. Expedited removal, she argued, strips individuals of their legal right to a hearing.
“These actions contradict American values of fairness and justice,” Stump said. “We need bipartisan solutions that restore humanity to the system—not tear it apart.”
The Department of Homeland Security has not yet responded to requests for comment.
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