Federal Judge Beryl A. Howell ruled Thursday that the Trump administration breached a December order limiting immigration arrests in Washington, D.C. without a warrant. The court found ICE continued to rely on a January guidance memo that permitted agents to seize individuals deemed “likely to escape” before a warrant could be obtained. The decision revives litigation over the administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement strategy.

The memo, circulated by acting ICE director Todd M. Lyons, expanded the “flight risk” definition beyond the narrow standard Howell set, allowing arrests even when defendants had deep family or employment ties to the district. Civil‑rights groups including the ACLU of D.C., the Amica Center and We Are CASA argued the policy ignored safeguards and targeted Latino residents. The case followed summer sweeps of motorists.

Howell issued a sweeping injunction prohibiting reliance on Lyons’s memorandum in Washington and ordered the Department of Homeland Security to produce additional documents on its tactics. No penalty was imposed, but the ruling joins similar decisions in California, Illinois, Colorado and Oregon that curtail warrantless ICE sweeps. Compliance will likely require revising training manuals.