A group of New York lawmakers introduced federal legislation on Monday that would prohibit U.S. Department of Homeland Security officers from arresting migrants at immigration courthouses unless they have a judicial warrant.
The proposal, known as the Immigration Due Process Protection Act, comes in response to thousands of arrests in New York City and elsewhere involving immigrants appearing for their federal immigration hearings.
The measure was filed by New York Representatives Dan Goldman, Adriano Espaillat and Nydia Velázquez, along with California Representative Robert Garcia — all Democrats. It would protect individuals with active immigration cases who do not yet have a final removal order.
The bill includes limited exceptions, permitting arrests only when necessary to stop an imminent act of violence or address a specific threat to life, public safety or national security.
Goldman said the legislation is needed after repeated incidents in which Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other DHS officers have detained nonviolent immigrants immediately after mandatory court appearances, even when their cases were still underway. “We have shockingly and repeatedly witnessed these arrests over the past year,” he said in a statement.
