DHS Limits ICE Home Entries and Courthouse Arrests in Immigration Enforcement

The Department of Homeland Security has implemented new restrictions on immigration enforcement practices by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to a report by NBC News cited in the Washington Examiner. ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations has notified offices nationwide to avoid entering homes for immigration arrests unless officers possess a judicial warrant.

This guidance reverses previous practices that allowed entries based on administrative orders.

arrests at courthouses have decreased significantly, based on accounts from two immigration attorneys and a senior DHS official. Under the new policy, ICE officers are instructed not to arrest suspected undocumented immigrants at or around courthouses unless the individual is specifically targeted for deportation.

This shift occurred in February, following an authorization in January 2025 that permitted such arrests near sensitive locations like courts, going against prior norms that avoided enforcement in those areas.

The changes come following months of operations where federal personnel entered residences of individuals with signed removal orders as part of deportation efforts. Between the start of President Donald Trump's second term in January 2025 and early March 2026, ICE reported arresting nearly 457,000 people.

The policy aims to align enforcement with judicial oversight in residential and courthouse settings.