Local Politics
California Files Lawsuit to Bar ICE Immigration Arrests at State Courthouses
On Thursday, October 15, 2026, California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a federal lawsuit in Los Angeles seeking to prohibit ICE agents from detaining individuals at state courthouses, marking the state's 100th legal challenge against the second Trump administration. The complaint alleges that approximately 60 people were detained at California courthouses over three months following a June 2026 federal court ruling that deemed the underlying ICE guidelines illegal. Bonta cited specific incidents, including agents physically removing a man from a Rancho Cucamonga courthouse and refusing to show a warrant in another case. The lawsuit argues that such arrests violate state statutes and common law protections against civil-infraction detentions at courthouses, and are discouraging witnesses, defendants, and observers from accessing the courts.