The Trump Administration is employing a new way to ‘fast-track deportations’– of migrants at courthouses across the US.
In a legal bait and switch, migrants who are showing up to court hearings that allow them to stay in the country legally are having their asylum cases thrown out, only to be arrested by waiting ICE agents as they leave.
At federal courthouses from Miami to Seattle, chaotic scenes played out as confused migrants were handcuffed by federal agents from Immigration and Customs and Enforcement (ICE) Tuesday and Wednesday.
Mothers with kids in tow were led away by ICE officers in several instances in Phoenix, Arizona over the last few days as the migrant women were following the law and checking in with immigration court on their pending asylum cases
Moms with kids in tow were led away by ICE officers in several instances in Phoenix, Arizona over the last few days.
While asylum requests by migrants do have to get a court hearing under US law, the vast majority are ultimately turned down- ranging from 60-80% denial rate depending on the migrant’s country of origin.
Arrests at federal courthouses are rare, according to immigration attorneys, and only happen if a migrant has a criminal record or their asylum claim has been denied.
In conjunction with federal prosecutors, the Trump administration has begun targeting legal asylum-seekers at federal courthouses across the US, instead of going after the criminal migrants they promised to kick out
“All this is to accelerate detentions and expedite removals,’ Florida immigration attorney Wilfredo Allen stated.
These migrants are a far cry from the ‘worst first’ that Trump Administration claims to be targeting under the Republican’s promise to carry out the largest deportations in US history.
It’s unclear how many migrants have been taken into custody this way, as ICE did not immediately respond to Daily Mail’s request, but these types of arrests have been reported in Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Phoenix and Texas.
Federal agents detain migrants after their immigration hearings are dismissed at the U.S. Immigration Court on May 21, 2025, in Phoenix
Most of these migrants were previously been given permission to legally be in the US while their asylum claims were heard – a process that can take years.
Most have work permits and pay taxes.
Regular court check-ins with immigration judges, most of which usually take five minutes, are part of their requirement to stay in the country.
Showing up to regular court hearings is part of the requirement for many asylum seekers who have work permits and pay taxes
Juan Serrano, 28, a Colombian living in South Florida showed up for his court date with an asylum judge Wednesday.
He expected another check-in would be scheduled and he would go home.
Instead, the South American learned Trump prosecutors were dropping their case against him.
‘You’re free to go,’ the federal judge told him.
Federal agents take a suspect into custody at immigration court in Phoenix, Arizona, on Wednesday
As he left the courtroom, ICE agents were ready for him.
He was detained and put on a van with others with similar cases in Miami’s immigration court.
This week’s arrest prompted push-back from immigrant activists who flooded courthouses to oppose the detentions.
A man in Seattle is handcuffed after his immigration hearing in a dizzying scene as activists try to intervene on his behalf
Armed with bullhorns, activists could be heard shouting: ‘You have the right to remain silent’ to migrants who were handcuffed.
In Phoenix, some were involved in pushing and shoving matches with federal agents.
Targeting asylum-seekers is a new policy in coordination between Trump prosecutors and ICE in what the government is calling ‘fast-track deportation authority.’
Department of Justice attorneys were ordered to dismiss refugee cases knowing the migrants would be outside of the protection of the federal court and could be detained by ICE the second they left the court.
‘People are going to freak out like never before,’ Miami immigration lawyer Antonio Ramos told the Associated Press.
He believes the new enforcement could stop otherwise law abiding migrants from showing up for their court appearances for fear of arrest.
However, skipping immigration court would also make them eligible for removal from the country.
ICE has the addresses and work locations of these migrants, who must prove they can financially provide for themselves in order to qualify for asylum.
By MARYANN MARTINEZ/Daily Mail
