ICE ramps up immigrant arrests in courthouses across U.S. — including Houston

The latest: For three consecutive days this week, ICE officers arrested multiple people who showed up for hearings at the South Gessner Immigration Court in southwest Houston.

• On Monday, plainclothes officers arrested three men moments after government lawyers dismissed their pending asylum cases.

The big picture: The recent ramp-up follows a January policy shift that authorizes ICE to target courthouses for the first time in years.

• Under previous administrations, ICE was not allowed to conduct enforcement operations at or near courthouses.

What they're saying: "ICE is now following the law" and placing immigrants in expedited removal, "as they always should have been," a senior Homeland Security spokesperson tells Axios.

• Immigrant activists describe it as a trap, warning that courthouses are becoming enforcement zones where due process rights are eroding.

How it works: An immigration court that dismisses the case — often because the Department of Homeland Security withdraws the charges or because the applicant has no active relief from removal — opens the door for ICE to swoop in post-dismissal, no longer restrained by a pending court case.

• If an immigrant has been in the U.S. for less than two years, they're arrested on-site and fast-tracked for deportation.
• Failure to appear at court results in a removal order called an "in absentia" deportation order.

Under a February executive order from President Trump, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is now defaulting to issuing Notices to Appear (NTAs) for anyone denied an immigration benefit — including asylum, green cards and work permits.

• The policy change increased the number of NTAs issued by the agency compared to under the Biden administration. ICE and Customs and Border Protection also issue NTAs.
• Someone denied a visa extension can now be swept into removal proceedings, even without a criminal record.
• NTAs are also being issued to immigrants accused of committing fraud, including giving false information to an employer.

By the numbers: Federal immigration authorities have launched deportation proceedings against more than 22,100 immigrants since late February, according to new USCIS data.

What we're watching: With ICE under pressure to triple daily detainments to 3,000, advocates warn more arrests in sensitive locations, including courthouses, are coming.