Federal judge orders ICE to retrain officers after finding repeated violations of arrest rules
May 15, 2026·Location: Denver, CO

A federal judge in Colorado ruled that ICE agents repeatedly violated a November 2025 preliminary injunction requiring them to follow federal law when making warrantless arrests. The court found that ICE failed to properly train agents on requirements to document flight risk assessments before arrest, with agents receiving only minimal instruction such as emails with no formal training. Arrest forms universally failed to comply with the court order. The judge ordered ICE to develop and conduct training within 45 days on complying with federal law and the court order, prohibited agents from making warrantless arrests if they failed to complete the training, and required ICE to improve documentation and pay attorneys' fees. The court documented that ICE arrested people without determining flight risk, including U.S. citizens' family members, longtime residents, and asylum seekers in legal processes.
Timeline
Sources
- Colorado court orders new training for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents after
- Federal judge rules ICE has repeatedly violated court order limiting warrantless arrests in Colorado
Denver Post·May 12, 2026·archived copy
kanoproject.com·May 12, 2026·archived copy
- courthousenews.com
- Federal judge hears ICE agents' confusion about law, injunction on warrantless arrests
coloradopolitics.com·Mar 11, 2026·archived copy
- Federal Judge Rules ICE Violated Court Order, Requires More Oversight and Training - ACLU of Colorado
- ICE must retrain officers who make arrests in Colorado, federal judge rules
coloradosun.com·May 12, 2026·archived copy
- ICE 'materially violated' order on warrantless arrests, Colorado judge says
coloradopolitics.com·May 12, 2026·archived copy
More incidents in Colorado
- Colorado AG Sues to Halt 1,200-Bed Hudson ICE Center, Citing Town's SizeSep 29, 2026 · Hudson, CO
- Colorado city sues ICE facility's landlord over detentions after permit revokedSep 25, 2026 · Glenwood Springs, CO
- Honduran man deported to Central African Republic ordered returned after due process violationSep 25, 2026 · CO
- Migrant children and other immigrants face surging third-country deportationsSep 19, 2026 · Denver, CO
- Construction worker deported to Honduras after being followed by ICE in ColoradoSep 11, 2026 · Denver, CO
- Immigrant detained under expedited removal statute wins court-ordered bond hearingAug 31, 2026 · Aurora, CO