A federal judge ruled that U.S. Marshals cannot legally arrest or detain criminal defendants in Washington, D.C.’s local court system for civil immigration violations. This decision presents a challenge to immigration enforcement strategies previously pursued by the Trump administration.
The case arose from an incident involving a man referred to as N.S. He was detained by U.S. Marshals in January 2020. A D.C. judge had ordered his release after a criminal court appearance, but Marshals kept him detained on an ICE request until immigration officers could take over.
U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth, in a 21-page opinion, highlighted that the Marshals Service’s actions led to the lawsuit. This became a class action challenging their practice of detaining individuals for suspected civil immigration issues. In 2021, the practice was barred by a federal court, yet the ruling was vacated by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The vacating referenced a Supreme Court ruling limiting classwide injunctions in immigration cases.
The appeals court still affirmed that Marshals lacked the necessary training per federal immigration regulations, and remanded the case back to the district court.
Lamberth noted, “The 2025 order did not successfully amend the regulation and cannot constitute a legitimate delegation of authority to the U.S. Marshals to make civil immigration arrests.”
Lamberth’s decision rejected DHS’s authorization order, stating it did not legally permit Marshals to conduct civil immigration arrests. The Department of Homeland Security’s internal memorandum attempt to expand authority without the rulemaking process was not valid.
The court also pointed out inadequacies in the Marshals’ training, noting the virtual instruction from ICE attorneys did not meet federal regulation standards for immigration enforcement training. As a result, the court issued a declaratory judgment confirming Marshals lack both legal authority and necessary training for such detentions.
The case spotlights growing concerns over federal agents’ training and the use of force. Several deadly incidents have been reported, including the January deaths of Renee Nicle Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota, the July shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Texas, and the death of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in Maine.
The Department of Justice has been contacted by Newsweek for further comments on the ruling.