Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents stand near a gate at Delaney Hall, a newly converted immigrant detention center in Elizabeth, New Jersey, on May 7, 2025. Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images
A federal judge said on Feb. 26 that he would haul prosecutors and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials into court to answer questions under oath if they continue to pursue immigration detentions under a legal provision many judges have rejected.
U.S. District Judge Zahid Quraishi of New Jersey accused the Trump administration of defying the law by subjecting noncitizens to mandatory immigration detention. At issue is Section 1225(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, the legal provision on which courts disagree. The section governs the inspection of applicants for admission to the United States.