A federal judge in California has overturned an immigration court ruling that previously supported the Trump administration’s broad detention powers over illegal immigrants. U.S. District Court Judge Sunshine Sykes issued her decision on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, in California, striking down a policy that allowed widespread enforcement actions against undocumented individuals.
In her ruling, Judge Sykes condemned the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for labeling detainees as the “worst of the worst.” She wrote: “‘Worst of the worst’ is an inaccurate description of most of those affected by DHS and ICE’s operations.”
The judge further argued that the administration’s rhetoric was deliberately crafted to justify its scale of actions. Sykes emphasized that “even though these press releases might contain an inkling of truth, they ignore a greater, more dire reality,” noting the executive branch had “extended its violence on its own citizens, killing two American citizens—Renée Good and Alex Pretti—in Minnesota.” She concluded: “The threats posed by the executive branch cannot be viewed in isolation.”
If upheld, the ruling could block mass deportations and guarantee bond hearings for non-criminal illegal immigrant detainees. Previously, DHS denied such hearings to migrants arrested by federal immigration authorities—even those who had been in the United States for years—and withheld immediate bond opportunities for recent border crossers.
Meanwhile, a New Orleans-based federal appeals court recently upheld similar detention policies in its jurisdiction. The Department of Justice (DOJ) is expected to appeal Sykes’s decision and seek temporary stay during ongoing litigation.
