Federal judge deals 'major blow' to Trump's agenda in ruling with nationwide implications

U.S. President Donald Trump boards Air Force One, as he departs for Scotland, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., July 25, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

A federal judge on Wednesday ruled that President Donald Trump's administration unlawfully arrested and detained hundreds of people across the country as part of its immigration crackdown, and ordered them to be released by November 21.

CNN host Boris Sanchez reported Wednesday that the decision by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Cummings (an appointee of former President Joe Biden) was a "major blow" to Trump's mass deportation efforts, while reporter Whitney Wild described the ruling was an "enormous win" for plaintiffs' attorneys suing the administration. She observed that Judge Cummings pointed out that more than 600 people detained across the country "have nodeportation orders" and "nocriminal history."

"This more practically applies to all 3,000 peoplewho are who have been arrestedby ICE and Customs and Border [Protection] between June and October," Wild said. "But most practicallyspeaking, it applies to 615people who are currently incustody all across the country."

According to Wild, plaintiffs' attorneys believe roughly 1,100 immigrants "simply left voluntarily afterthey were placed in custodybecause they just they gave upon their immigration statusfight and chose to leave the United States." However, attorney Mark Fleming told CNN affiliate WLS that the ruling proved their argument that a bulk of the administration's arrests of immigrants in Chicago, Illinois this summer and fall — under the direction of Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino — were illegal.

"For the last two months, the terrorizing of our neighborhoods, the brutalizing of people here has all been unlawful," Fleming said. "That'swhat it's going to show. It'sgoing to show that all of this, all of the tactics of Mr. Bovino, all of the tactics of ICE have been unlawful in the vast, vast majority of arrests."

So far, the Department of Homeland Security has not yet said if it will appeal Judge Cummings' decision to the Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, though Fleming told WLS that he understood that the Department of Justice was planning to consult with Solicitor General D. John Sauer (one of Trump's former personal attorneys) about whether to file an appeal. However, Wild reported that the ruling may potentially have nationwide implications.

"More broadly, the questionis, what does this mean for casesall across the country?" Wild said. "... Theattorney for the ACLU told methat she believes that there areother cases across the countrythat are similar. And so youwill start to see more cases endup just like this, with judgessimply saying that these peoplewho are in custody, it'scompletely improper."

Watch the segment below:

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

From Your Site Articles