Miami, Feb 7 (EFE).-
An appeals court in the United States upheld Friday night the policy of President Donald Trump’s administration, which allows for the detention without access to bail of large groups of undocumented migrants slated for deportation.
In a divided three-judge ruling, the court backed the Trump Administration’s stance, which reinterpreted an Immigration law to claim that undocumented migrants detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are not entitled to a bail hearing.
“After reviewing carefully the relevant provisions and structure of the Immigration and Naturalization Act, the statutory history, and Congressional intent, we conclude that the government’s position is correct,” the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals stated in its ruling.
The law, which dates back more than 30 years, demands the detention, without bail hearings, of all applicants for admission into the US.
However, previous administrations barely applied it to those who had recently arrived in the country, particularly those who crossed the southern border with Mexico. In other cases, undocumented immigrants were entitled to bail hearings and could try to convince an immigration judge that they did not pose a flight risk.
The ruling overturns lower court decisions that deemed the government’s position illegal and provides legal protection for mass detentions and deportations during the immigration crackdown.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi celebrated the judicial victory Friday night with a message on the social media platform X, stating that they will continue “vindicating President Trump’s law and order agenda in courtrooms across the country.”
Bondi further asserted that the development is “a significant blow against activist judges” who try to undermine the “efforts to make America safe again at every turn.”
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has jurisdiction over the states of Texas and Louisiana, home to a large portion of the migrant detention centers in the country.
Other courts of appeal are expected to rule on the matter in the coming days, in a case that could reach the Supreme Court. EFE
hbc/dmv
