02/23/2026
ICE has jailed people illegally more than 4,400 times, data shows
By Shirley Henderson
February 17, 2026, 1:02 pm CST
The Trump administration’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-led detentions of immigrants have been deemed unlawful more than 4,400 times since October by hundreds of judges across the country, according to court records. (Image from Shutterstock)
The Trump administration’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-led detentions of immigrants have been deemed unlawful more than 4,400 times since October by hundreds of judges across the country, according to court records examined by Reuters.
The current administration chooses to “completely disregard the current law as it is clearly written,” wrote U.S. District Judge Thomas E. Johnston of the Southern District of West Virginia last week, after ordering the release of a Venezuelan detainee. Johnston is an appointee of former President George W. Bush.
Many court rulings defer to a federal law stipulating that immigrants living in the United States can be released on bond while their cases go through the immigration courts, according to coverage coverage by Reuters.
According to Reuters, about 68,000 ICE detentions were made this month—about 75% more than last year. The result has been more than 20,200 federal lawsuits being filed by immigrant detainees demanding release since President Donald Trump took office again. More than 400 federal judges ruled that in at least 4,421 cases, ICE is holding people illegally. More than 700 Department of Justice attorneys are working on the cases.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said the administration is “working to lawfully deliver on President Trump’s mandate to enforce federal immigration law.”
The Trump administration’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-led detentions of immigrants have been deemed unlawful more than 4,400 times since October by hundreds of judges across the country, according to court records examined by Reuters.
