Can ICE arrest me at a courthouse, hospital or church?

This page covers courthouses, clinics and houses of worship. It is general information, not legal advice. Schools have their own page: Can immigration agents come to my child's school?

We know it takes courage to walk into a courthouse or a waiting room right now. The rules have changed fast, and some of the news is hard. Here is what we checked today, so you can decide with clear eyes.

Is there any place ICE can't go?

No place is fully off limits. For more than ten years, federal policy told ICE to generally avoid "sensitive" or "protected" places like schools, hospitals and places of worship. On January 20, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security cancelled that policy. Since then, ICE officers decide case by case.

That is the federal picture. California adds protection in some places, and courts have stepped in on others. The answer depends on where you are going.

Is it safe to go to a California courthouse?

Go. Missing court can cause you serious harm, like a warrant for your arrest in a criminal case or losing a case about your children, your home or your pay. But go with a plan, because ICE arrests at courthouses have happened in California.

What California law says. California Civil Code 43.54 says no one may be put under civil arrest in a courthouse while attending a court case or having legal business there. The rule does not apply to an arrest made with a valid warrant signed by a judge. Immigration arrests are usually civil. This is a state law, and its text does not say it binds federal agents, so do not count on it to stop an ICE arrest.

What the federal courts said. In 2025, ICE issued guidance (January 21 and May 27, 2025) that allowed civil arrests in or near courthouses. On June 23, 2026, a federal judge in San Jose threw out that guidance, along with the immigration court's matching policy, in a case called Pablo Sequen v. Albarran. The government has appealed earlier orders in the case.

What is happening now. On October 15, 2026, California's Attorney General sued ICE in federal court in Los Angeles to stop immigration arrests at state courthouses. The state says these arrests continued after the June order. As of October 21, 2026, news reports showed no ruling yet (Courthouse News). In January 2026, California's Chief Justice said her office was informally tracking reports of immigration enforcement at courthouses and passing them to the Attorney General, according to CalMatters. That is a news report, not a court order.

The honest answer: the law is on your side more than it was a year ago, but arrests may still happen. Plan for that and still go.

How do I prepare for a court date?

• Talk with a lawyer first. Ask if there is any immigration risk in your case. If you have a criminal case, ask your public defender.
• Ask about appearing by video. Ask your lawyer or the court's self help center whether your hearing can be done remotely.
• Bring a trusted adult who is not at risk. Give them your A number if you have one, your lawyer's number and your rapid response line.
• Make your family plan before the date. Decide who picks up your children. See Make a family preparedness plan.
• Know your rights. You can stay silent. Do not sign anything you do not understand. Do not run. See Your rights if immigration agents come.
• Carry your court papers to show you have legal business there.

If ICE arrests you or someone with you, the trusted adult should call the rapid response line and your lawyer right away. See What to do if ICE detains someone in your family.

What about immigration court?

Immigration court is a federal court, run by the Executive Office for Immigration Review. The June 23, 2026 order in San Jose also threw out the immigration court's 2025 policy on arrests there. On September 30, 2026, a federal court in New York also struck down ICE's policy allowing arrests at immigration courts, nationwide, in African Communities Together v. Lyons, as announced by the ACLU, which brought the case. The government may appeal either ruling. Still, keep going to every hearing. If you miss one after you were given notice, the judge can order you deported without you there. See Do I have to go to immigration court?

Can ICE come into a clinic or hospital?

Into the waiting room, possibly. Into the private areas where you get care, California law says not without a judge's order.

Since September 20, 2025, a California law called SB 81 requires health care providers that receive public funding to:

• Mark their private areas, where patients get care or talk about their health, as non public, with signs, maps or key entry.
• Keep immigration agents out of those areas unless the agents have a valid judicial warrant or court order that specifically allows entry, or state or federal law requires access.
• Tell a manager or the legal office about any immigration request to see a patient, records or a site.

The law encourages other providers, like private offices, to follow the same steps.

Your immigration status is private medical information. Under California law, your place of birth and your immigration status are protected the same way as your health records when a covered provider has them.

Emergency rooms must still help you. Federal law requires hospitals with emergency departments to screen and stabilize people with an emergency medical condition, regardless of ability to pay.

Keep going to the doctor. Your health matters, and a clinic is still one of the safer places to be. See Mental health care without fear and Medi-Cal for adults in 2026.

Can ICE arrest me at church?

It can happen. The federal policy that protected houses of worship was cancelled in January 2025.

Some faith groups sued. On August 18, 2026, a federal appeals court (the Fourth Circuit) upheld an order that makes ICE follow the older, more protective 2021 rules at the churches, meetinghouses and gurdwaras of the groups that sued, including Quaker, Sikh and Cooperative Baptist Fellowship congregations. That order covers only those groups' sites. It does not cover every church in California.

California has written rules for clinics (SB 81), and the Attorney General has model policies for courts, health facilities, schools, colleges, libraries and shelters, but none written for houses of worship. The Attorney General says any place open to the public may choose to adopt a similar policy (California DOJ). A related rule still helps. For courthouses, the California Attorney General's guidance says an ICE administrative warrant does not authorize entry into nonpublic areas, and that without a judicial warrant or an emergency, agents should not get into restricted areas. Areas open to the public, like a lobby or parking lot, get less protection. Ask a lawyer how this applies to your building before agents ever come.

What a congregation can do:

• Mark private areas, like offices, classrooms and the pastor's study, as private.
• Choose one or two people to speak with any agent who arrives, and keep a copy of a script.
• Train greeters to ask for a judge's warrant and not to give consent to enter private areas.
• Post the rapid response number where everyone can see it.

See Can our church or community group help neighbors? and How your church or group can start or join rapid response.

Quick answers

Can ICE arrest me in the courthouse parking lot? It has happened in California. The state courthouse rule speaks of arrests "in a courthouse." Treat the walk in and out as part of your plan, and bring someone with you.

Will my doctor ask about my papers? If a form asks, you can ask why and whether you have to answer. If your provider has that information, California law treats it as private medical information.

Can agents follow me into an exam room? At a publicly funded clinic, not without a valid judicial warrant or court order that allows it, unless the law requires access. Ask the staff to call their manager.

Is the church parking lot safe? Not guaranteed. Outdoor areas open to the public have less protection than private rooms.

What if I see ICE at a courthouse or clinic? Stay calm and do not block agents. Call your rapid response line. Email the California Attorney General at immigration@doj.ca.gov. See How to report ICE activity.

Who can help?

You don't have to walk in alone. These are free or low cost public offices and nonprofits. Contact them to confirm hours, languages and openings. Being listed here is not a referral or a promise of service.

• Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto: 650-326-6440, walk ins Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., 1861 Bay Road
• San Mateo County Rapid Response Hotline: (203) 666-4472, 24 hours, run by Faith in Action with county funding
• Santa Clara County Rapid Response Network: (408) 290-1144, 24 hours
• California Attorney General: immigration@doj.ca.gov
• Anywhere in California: the state's map of free immigration legal services, or call (916) 651-8017.

More options: Free legal help in the Bay Area. Only an attorney or a DOJ accredited representative may give you legal advice.

Is there a checklist I can print?

Yes. Use it before any court date, medical visit or service.

Fear wants you to stay home from the places that hold you up: the court that protects your rights, the clinic that keeps you well, the church that keeps you close to God and neighbor. You do not have to give them up. Go prepared, and go together.