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SCOTUS Says Some Detained Immigrants Aren't Entitled To Bond Hearings

The court ruled some immigrants don't have the right to hearings that might let them post bail before a trial.
Posted at 2:09 PM, Feb 27, 2018
and last updated 2018-02-27 14:09:11-05

The U.S. Supreme Court decided immigrants who face deportation and are held by the government aren't entitled to periodic bond hearings.

The high court ruled 5-3 Tuesday that while those immigrants are detained, they don't have the right to hearings that might let them post bail and leave jail before a trial.

Immigration advocates argue bond hearings are necessary for detained immigrants until their case is heard in court.

But the Supreme Court wrote in its opinion, "Immigration officials are authorized to detain certain aliens in the course of immigration proceedings while they determine whether those aliens may be lawfully present in the country."

The ruling overturns a lower court's decision that required a bond hearing every six months for certain immigrants in custody — as long as they aren't considered a flight risk or a threat to national security.