A federal appeals court has delivered a significant victory to the Trump administration, ruling that it may lawfully deny bond hearings to certain illegal immigrants detained within the United States. The decision, handed down in a 2–1 split, is being hailed by administration officials and allies as a major affirmation of the president’s hard-line immigration policies and a rebuke to what they describe as years of judicial activism.
At issue in the case was whether “unadmitted aliens” — a legal term referring to individuals who entered the country without lawful admission — are entitled to bond hearings while awaiting the outcome of immigration proceedings. The majority of the court concluded that federal immigration law does not provide such a right, even for individuals who have lived in the United States for many years.
