The Trump administration is backing away from a widely cited immigration enforcement target, telling a federal appeals court there is no formal policy requiring agents to arrest 3,000 people a day.

The statement was made in a Justice Department court filing last week, defending the administration’s expanded enforcement campaign in Greater Los Angeles, where a judge has temporarily barred agents from targeting individuals based on race, language or location. The case marks a major legal test of President Donald Trump’s second-term immigration agenda and could set limits on how Immigration and Customs Enforcement operates in other U.S. cities.

“The allegation that the government maintains a policy mandating 3,000 arrests per day appears to originate from media reports quoting a White House advisor,” Yaakov Roth, a Justice Department lawyer, wrote. “No such goal has been set as a matter of policy, and no such directive has been issued to or by” the Department of Homeland Security or ICE, its enforcement arm.

The case was brought by L.A.-area residents, workers and advocacy groups who say immigration agents have been stopping and questioning people based on how they look, what language they speak, or where they happen to be.

In June, the L.A. region became a flash point in the administration’s immigration crackdown, as anti-deportation protests erupted across the city and the Trump administration deployed thousands of California National Guard troops and active-duty Marines to protect federal property and assist ICE agents — a move made against the wishes of Democratic state and local officials.

Plaintiffs in the case pointed to public comments by White House adviser Stephen Miller, who told Fox News in May the administration was “looking to set” a minimum 3,000-a-day arrest goal and that Trump “is going to keep pushing to get that number up higher.”

Last month, Trump border czar Tom Homan said there was no quota but he echoed the 3,000 figure, telling reporters it wasn’t high enough. “Do the math — we’d have to arrest 7,000 every single day for the remainder of this administration just to catch the ones Biden released into the nation,” Homan said.

In its July 30 filing, the Justice Department urged the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a lower court order limiting enforcement tactics. The administration argued that ICE operations are guided by individual assessments and operational needs, not numerical targets.

But on Friday, a three-judge panel declined to pause the order, meaning the restrictions will remain in effect while the case proceeds. The ruling bars agents from stopping people without reasonable suspicion that they’re in the country unlawfully and prohibits using factors like race, ethnicity, speaking Spanish, certain types of jobs, or being present in areas where migrants often gather — such as parking lots or street corners — as justification for enforcement.

The court battle comes as most Americans say they don’t agree with how the administration is handling immigration. A recent Gallup poll found 62% of U.S. adults disapprove of Trump’s approach on immigration, including 45% who strongly disapprove. Just 35% said they approve.

The case is Vasquez Perdomo v. Noem, 25-4312, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (San Francisco).

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(With assistance from Alicia A. Caldwell and Erik Larson.)

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