Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials are beginning a nationwide initiative to arrest illegal immigrants after asylum hearings as they leave courtrooms, multiple sources familiar with the matter confirmed to Fox News.

The effort will target those who have been living in the United States for less than two years, sources said.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) strategy aims to get illegal immigration cases dropped. Federal officials plan to arrest migrants and place them in expedited removal proceedings, fast-tracking them to deportation out of the country, allowing for almost-immediate removal without a hearing before an immigration judge, according to ICE sources.

If a migrant has an active, pending court case, expedited removal cannot happen, which is why DHS officials are planning to get them dropped. Immigration judges, however, have to agree to drop cases, and so far, they are cooperating with the effort, sources said.

ICE has escalated their pursuit and detention of migrants by waiting outside courtrooms to see if judges are ordering them to be deported or if prosecutors are asking for their cases to be dismissed.  (Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis )

Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, immigration attorney and CEO and owner of Lincoln-Goldfinch Law, told Fox News Digital that while “ICE can go in and conduct apprehensions in courthouses,” such arrests “can be restricted” if immigration judges refuse to dismiss cases. 

In an April 29 press release marking 100 days in office, DHS announced that border apprehensions were down 95% since President Donald Trump took office, and more migrants are returning to their home countries to avoid deportation. 

The administration also noted that it had arrested more than 158,000 illegal aliens in 2025 alone, including more than 600 members of Tren de Aragua, saying federal officials are “targeting the worst of the worst” with 75% of illegal immigrant arrests involving those with convictions or pending charges.