California lawmaker sues federal immigration officials over courthouse arrest transparency

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A California state legislator has filed a lawsuit against federal immigration officials, alleging a lack of transparency surrounding arrests of immigrants during court appearances both statewide and nationwide.

Assemblymember Maggy Krell, a Sacramento Democrat and former prosecutor, announced the legal action outside the John E. Moss Federal Building in Sacramento, where immigration hearings are held daily. Krell said she is suing the Executive Office for Immigration Review, which operates under the U.S. Department of Justice, after what she described as inadequate responses to her Freedom of Information Act requests.

“This isn’t a criminal courthouse. Immigration is civil,” Krell said. “What is the federal government hiding?”

Krell said the lawsuit stems from concerns about arrests carried out at immigration courts, which she said have increased under the current administration. She questioned the necessity of detaining individuals who appear for routine scheduled hearings as part of due process.

“Why is it necessary to tackle people in front of their children and spouses and arrest them and deport them and detain them?” Krell said. “Why is that necessary when they’re just here to check in for their day in court?”

In June, Krell said she sought information about why members of the public — including family members, attorneys and journalists — were barred from entering the Sacramento immigration court during hearings. She said the documents she received were heavily redacted and insufficient.

In August, she submitted additional requests seeking federal immigration enforcement guidelines and security footage from the courthouse, amid news of courthouse immigration enforcement — as well as the firing of numerous immigration judges — continued. She said she has not received those records for months, which is why she’s pursuing a legal challenge.

According to Krell, more than 30 arrests have occurred at the Sacramento immigration courthouse in since last summer.

Advocates say courthouse enforcement actions have created fear among immigrants with pending cases.

The lawsuit alleges officials often target immigration courthouses, as noncitizens are easy to locate.

“I was at the court this morning. Folks are scared. They don’t want to come,” said Kamalpreet Chohan of the California Immigration Project.

Chohan explained that when people don’t make that mandatory appearance, they can be removed “in absentia,” meaning in their absence.

The debate comes amid broader changes in federal immigration enforcement policy. In January, the administration reversed a Biden-era policy that had more strictly limited immigration enforcement actions in or near courthouses.

“They’re attending their hearings and their check-ins and seeking due process in the way which it is available to them,” said Jessie Mabry, chief executive officer of Opening Doors Inc., a nonprofit serving immigrants and refugees.

Advocates also noted these individuals often don’t have attorneys to assist them, despite navigating what they call one of the most complex legal systems in the country.

According to the National Association of Immigration Judges, 103 immigration judges have been fired since President Donald Trump took office, including 28 in California.

In December, a federal judge temporarily barred arrests and detentions at immigration courts in Northern California, specifically the ICE San Francisco Area of Responsibility, which includes the Bay Area and from the Central Valley up to the Oregon border.

That is a ruling the Trump Administration is anticipated to appeal.

We reached out to the White House for comment. They referred us to the departments of Justice and Homeland Security.

The Executive Office for Immigration Review declined to comment on litigation-related matters.

We did not hear back from DHS.

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