SDNY Strikes Down ICE's Immigration Court Arrest Policy as "Arbitrary and Capricious" in African Communities Together v. Lyons

The Southern District of New York issued a final ruling in African Communities Together and The Door v. Todd Lyons striking down one of the Trump administration’s policies that allowed ICE agents to arrest people for showing up to immigration court, according to the ACLU, which litigated the case. The court’s order found the arrest policy “arbitrary and capricious” under the Administrative Procedure Act.

The ACLU says that in March the government admitted that a 2025 memorandum it had relied on throughout the case to justify the policy “does not and has never authorized any immigration courthouse arrests”. The statement against the outcome: the memo offered as authority was conceded not to grant it.

The only source is the plaintiffs’ press release. The ruling text and the scope of relief are not yet pulled. Related canon: 2026-06-30–ice-nyc-immigration-court-arrests-defy-june-24-injunction, 2026-05-20–icwc-v-noem-preliminary-injunction-u-visa-arrest-protections, 2026-08-13–frimpong-injunction-warrantless-ice-arrests-los-angeles.