SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Protesters take part in a Solidarity Rally Against Deportation at Foley Square near the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), office on March 9, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
'Dystopia Intensifies' as Supreme Court Rules Immigrants Can Be Detained Indefinitely
"The hellish internment camps of ICE and its private contractors have just been given the greenlight by our high court."
Feb 26, 2018
In a decision that could be devastating for thousands who have been swept up by President Donald Trump's deportation dragnet and immensely profitable for the private prison industry, the Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that immigrants--including those with permanent legal status--do not have the right to bond hearings and can be detained indefinitely.
"The government's practice of locking up immigrants indefinitely as they defend their right to remain in the U.S. is horrific."
--ACLUThe 5-3 ruling tosses out a 2015 lower court decision that stated immigrant detainees are entitled to a bond hearing every six months. The Obama administration appealed that ruling to the Supreme Court, and the Trump administration continued the case.
In a statement on Tuesday, the ACLU--which represented the lead plaintiffs in the case--said the Supreme Court's decision "will impact the lives of thousands of people, including lawful permanent residents, asylum seekers, and survivors of torture."
"The government's practice of locking up immigrants indefinitely, without even a hearing to determine if they pose a risk of flight or danger to the community, as they defend their right to remain in the U.S. is horrific," the group added. "As the Trump administration detains immigrants at record-breaking levels, tearing apart families and entire communities, we will not stop fighting for immigrants' constitutional rights."
Others expressed similar alarm at a ruling that effectively enshrines what was already the common practice of prolonged detention under Trump and his predecessors--which the three dissenting Supreme Court justices argued is a clear violation of the constitutional right to due process.
The case was originally brought in 2007 on behalf of Alejandro Rodriguez, a legal permanent resident who was convicted for joyriding and misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance.
Rodriguez was detained for three years without a bond hearing while the government attempted to deport him. He was finally released after the ACLU sued the government, and he ultimately won his immigration case.
Following the Supreme Court's ruling on Tuesday, the ACLU vowed to continue fighting in the lower courts.
"We have shown through this case that when immigrants get a fair hearing, judges often release them based on their individual circumstances," said ACLU attorney Ahilan Arulanantham. "We look forward to going back to the lower courts to show that these statutes, now interpreted by the Supreme Court to require detention without any hearing, violate the Due Process Clause."
An Unconstitutional Rampage
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
In a decision that could be devastating for thousands who have been swept up by President Donald Trump's deportation dragnet and immensely profitable for the private prison industry, the Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that immigrants--including those with permanent legal status--do not have the right to bond hearings and can be detained indefinitely.
"The government's practice of locking up immigrants indefinitely as they defend their right to remain in the U.S. is horrific."
--ACLUThe 5-3 ruling tosses out a 2015 lower court decision that stated immigrant detainees are entitled to a bond hearing every six months. The Obama administration appealed that ruling to the Supreme Court, and the Trump administration continued the case.
In a statement on Tuesday, the ACLU--which represented the lead plaintiffs in the case--said the Supreme Court's decision "will impact the lives of thousands of people, including lawful permanent residents, asylum seekers, and survivors of torture."
"The government's practice of locking up immigrants indefinitely, without even a hearing to determine if they pose a risk of flight or danger to the community, as they defend their right to remain in the U.S. is horrific," the group added. "As the Trump administration detains immigrants at record-breaking levels, tearing apart families and entire communities, we will not stop fighting for immigrants' constitutional rights."
Others expressed similar alarm at a ruling that effectively enshrines what was already the common practice of prolonged detention under Trump and his predecessors--which the three dissenting Supreme Court justices argued is a clear violation of the constitutional right to due process.
The case was originally brought in 2007 on behalf of Alejandro Rodriguez, a legal permanent resident who was convicted for joyriding and misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance.
Rodriguez was detained for three years without a bond hearing while the government attempted to deport him. He was finally released after the ACLU sued the government, and he ultimately won his immigration case.
Following the Supreme Court's ruling on Tuesday, the ACLU vowed to continue fighting in the lower courts.
"We have shown through this case that when immigrants get a fair hearing, judges often release them based on their individual circumstances," said ACLU attorney Ahilan Arulanantham. "We look forward to going back to the lower courts to show that these statutes, now interpreted by the Supreme Court to require detention without any hearing, violate the Due Process Clause."
In a decision that could be devastating for thousands who have been swept up by President Donald Trump's deportation dragnet and immensely profitable for the private prison industry, the Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that immigrants--including those with permanent legal status--do not have the right to bond hearings and can be detained indefinitely.
"The government's practice of locking up immigrants indefinitely as they defend their right to remain in the U.S. is horrific."
--ACLUThe 5-3 ruling tosses out a 2015 lower court decision that stated immigrant detainees are entitled to a bond hearing every six months. The Obama administration appealed that ruling to the Supreme Court, and the Trump administration continued the case.
In a statement on Tuesday, the ACLU--which represented the lead plaintiffs in the case--said the Supreme Court's decision "will impact the lives of thousands of people, including lawful permanent residents, asylum seekers, and survivors of torture."
"The government's practice of locking up immigrants indefinitely, without even a hearing to determine if they pose a risk of flight or danger to the community, as they defend their right to remain in the U.S. is horrific," the group added. "As the Trump administration detains immigrants at record-breaking levels, tearing apart families and entire communities, we will not stop fighting for immigrants' constitutional rights."
Others expressed similar alarm at a ruling that effectively enshrines what was already the common practice of prolonged detention under Trump and his predecessors--which the three dissenting Supreme Court justices argued is a clear violation of the constitutional right to due process.
The case was originally brought in 2007 on behalf of Alejandro Rodriguez, a legal permanent resident who was convicted for joyriding and misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance.
Rodriguez was detained for three years without a bond hearing while the government attempted to deport him. He was finally released after the ACLU sued the government, and he ultimately won his immigration case.
Following the Supreme Court's ruling on Tuesday, the ACLU vowed to continue fighting in the lower courts.
"We have shown through this case that when immigrants get a fair hearing, judges often release them based on their individual circumstances," said ACLU attorney Ahilan Arulanantham. "We look forward to going back to the lower courts to show that these statutes, now interpreted by the Supreme Court to require detention without any hearing, violate the Due Process Clause."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.