ICE Arrests Venezuelan Migrants Outside Detroit Courtrooms Amid Policy Shift

Under the Trump administration, immigration enforcement has intensified, with ICE agents increasingly arresting migrants immediately after their asylum cases are dismissed in courtrooms across the U.S., as seen in Detroit and El Paso. This policy, part of an expanded expedited removal effort, allows deportations without full court hearings for individuals in the U.S. less than two years, placing many migrants, including Venezuelans and asylum seekers, at heightened risk. Venezuelans, such as Gregory Antonio Sanabria Tarazona, who fled Maduro's regime and were previously protected under Temporary Protected Status granted during the Biden administration, now face deportation after this protection was rescinded. Activists and legal advocates warn that this approach creates a catch-22 for migrants who must attend their court hearings to pursue legal status but risk immediate detention and deportation upon doing so. The U.S. Supreme Court recently upheld the Trump administration's ability to remove legal protections from hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans, further exacerbating the precarious situation for this population. Advocates urge migrants to understand their legal rights and prepare for the possibility of arrest when attending court proceedings.