Supreme Court to Review Immigrant Detention Without Bond

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to review the Trump administration’s policy of detaining certain immigrants without bond hearings while their deportation cases are pending, taking up a dispute over how federal immigration law applies to people arrested inside the country. The court has not ruled on whether the policy is lawful. The case asks whether a 1996 immigration statute’s mandatory-detention provision covers people accused of entering the United States illegally even after they have lived in the country for years, or whether it applies mainly to people encountered at or near the border. The administration argues that the law requires detention during removal proceedings. Immigrants challenging the policy say they should be able to seek an individual bond hearing before an immigration judge. Federal appeals courts have reached conflicting conclusions. Most appellate courts that have considered the policy have ruled against it, while the 5th and 8th circuits have backed the administration’s interpretation. The administration says the split has produced inconsistent enforcement and disrupted the administration of immigration law.