- “Arresting people when they come to court is a hallmark of authoritarian regimes, not a constitutional democracy.” – Nisha Kashyap, Racial Justice Program Director at Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area
- “A courthouse must be a sanctuary for the rule of law, not a space for government ambushes.” – Laura Sánchez, Immigration Legal Program Director at the Central American Resource Center of Northern California
SAN FRANCISCO – Civil rights organizations filed a new federal class-action lawsuit Thursday against the Trump administration, challenging courthouse arrests of immigrants across Northern California and the prolonged detention of people in harsh conditions at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s San Francisco Field Office.
The case, brought in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, argues that federal officials are violating constitutional protections and decades of practice by conducting civil immigration arrests in and around courthouses, including immigration courts.
The lawsuit also challenges ICE’s recent decision to waive its own 12-hour detention limit in temporary holding cells and detain people for days in spaces never designed for overnight confinement.
For decades, both Democratic and Republican administrations restricted immigration arrests at courthouses, recognizing that such enforcement undermined access to justice by deterring people from appearing for hearings.
In January 2025, within days of taking office, the Trump administration rescinded those policies without explanation. ICE agents have since been stationed outside immigration courtrooms in San Francisco, Sacramento, and Concord, waiting to detain immigrants immediately after their hearings.
The complaint describes how individuals attending mandatory hearings now face a stark choice: risk being arrested as they leave court or avoid court altogether and face deportation in absentia. Advocates warn that this practice has already led to higher rates of absenteeism and default removal orders.
The lawsuit details disturbing accounts of people arrested after hearings and transferred to ICE’s sixth-floor holding cells at 630 Sansome. The facility was originally intended only for short-term custody of a few hours while individuals awaited transfer to detention centers. But under Trump’s expanded arrest campaign, many are now held for multiple days.
Conditions inside, according to the plaintiffs, are punitive and degrading. Detainees are forced to sleep on cold metal benches or directly on the floor, often beside an open toilet, with only a thin foil blanket or plastic mat for warmth. They are subjected to bright lights 24 hours a day and freezing temperatures, a combination the United Nations has identified as a form of torture through sleep deprivation.
The complaint states that people held at 630 Sansome lack access to hygiene supplies, a change of clothes, or necessary medication. Medical support is absent, and ICE agents are accused of ignoring detainees in medical distress unless they can ask for help in English.
One man reportedly experienced paralysis symptoms but was denied care until an attorney taught him how to request assistance in English.
Access to legal counsel is also sharply curtailed. Attorneys are generally barred from visiting clients inside the facility after 3 p.m. or on weekends. Even during the week, ICE requires meetings to take place through a phone line with poor audio quality, limiting privacy and undermining the ability to prepare asylum claims. Detainees must navigate a costly phone system to make outside calls, further hampering communication with lawyers.
Plaintiffs include asylum seekers from Guatemala and Colombia, as well as long-term residents of the United States. One plaintiff, a mother of a nine-month-old baby, narrowly avoided arrest when lawyers intervened as ICE agents sought to detain her outside her hearing.
Another plaintiff, who suffers from cancer and high blood pressure, was detained after a reasonable fear interview and later rushed to the emergency room with symptoms of a stroke while still in ICE custody.
Nisha Kashyap, Racial Justice Program Director at Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, said, “Arresting people when they come to court is a hallmark of authoritarian regimes, not a constitutional democracy. It undermines the very foundation of our legal system. The plaintiffs in this case include community members who are following the law by coming to court, only to be arrested. Coupled with the horrific conditions at 630 Sansome, these policies represent a profound breakdown of the rule of law. We have filed this lawsuit to demand the court restore basic human dignity and constitutional order.”
Lauren Davis, Legal Fellow with the ACLU of Northern California, said, “To meet an arbitrary arrest quota, the Trump administration has rescinded a policy that protected access to immigration courts. Courthouse arrests are unlawful, deceptive, and take advantage of people’s belief that they will be treated fairly in our legal system. Arresting immigrants attending their mandatory court hearings is a cruel bait-and-switch with life-changing consequences, and we are asking the court to put an end to this practice.”
Laura Sánchez, Immigration Legal Program Director at the Central American Resource Center of Northern California, said, “A courthouse must be a sanctuary for the rule of law, not a space for government ambushes. ICE’s courthouse arrests are intentional—they are designed to terrorize immigrants. When people become too afraid to come to court, the entire foundation of our justice system begins to crumble. We are asking the court to end this practice and restore integrity to the process.”
Mark Hejinian of Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass LLP said, “By subjecting immigrants to the inhumane conditions at 630 Sansome, the administration has violated the Fifth Amendment’s core protection against punitive detention without due process. We will call on the court to end these unconstitutional practices.”
Plaintiffs themselves also gave searing accounts. One said, “I did what the government asked. I showed up to court. And for that, I was treated like a criminal, and thrown into a freezing cell with no bed, no medicine, and no answers. What happened to me at 630 Sansome was a nightmare. I am fighting so that no one else has to be terrified to go to court or endure such cruel treatment.”
Another added, “I came to this country seeking safety and a fair process. Instead, I was arrested when I left my hearing and taken to a place that feels designed to break you. The lights never turn off and the cold is unbearable. I was denied even the most basic humanity. I am speaking out because everyone deserves to have their day in court without fear and to be treated like a human being.”
The legal filing situates these arrests within the Trump administration’s broader immigration agenda. According to the complaint, the White House has demanded ICE conduct at least 3,000 immigration arrests per day, compared to fewer than 300 per day in 2024.
Officials have reportedly emphasized numbers over criminality, encouraging agents to make arrests in public spaces and courthouses regardless of whether individuals have criminal records.
As a result, two-thirds of deportations since January have involved people with no criminal record, while many others have only minor offenses.
Advocates argue that this expansion reflects a shift from targeted enforcement to mass sweeps designed to instill fear. Reports also indicate that ICE briefly offered agents cash bonuses for quick deportations before retracting the policy hours later.
The plaintiffs contend that the waiver of the 12-hour detention limit at facilities like 630 Sansome further illustrates the administration’s disregard for constitutional protections. The waiver now permits detentions of up to 72 hours in holding cells, despite longstanding standards that explicitly barred overnight stays.
Those standards were designed to prevent people from being held in rooms without beds, showers, or medical care. Instead of reinstating alternatives to detention or reducing arrests to match capacity, ICE has chosen to extend confinement in conditions that human rights groups say amount to torture.
The lawsuit seeks class certification to represent immigrants at risk of courthouse arrest in Northern California and those detained at the San Francisco Field Office. The plaintiffs are represented by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, the Central American Resource Center of Northern California, and Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass LLP.
The complaint names Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, ICE officials, the Department of Justice, and the Executive Office for Immigration Review as defendants. It asks the court to immediately end courthouse arrests, prohibit the use of 630 Sansome for long-term detention, and enforce humane conditions in compliance with federal law and the Constitution.
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