A federal judge in California has ruled that the Trump administration cannot impose mandatory detention on thousands of migrants without providing them with bond hearings. The ruling, issued by US District Judge Sunshine Sykes, applies nationwide to a class of individuals who were already living in the United States when detained.
Judge Sykes certified a nationwide class of migrants who are legally entitled to a hearing to determine if they can be released on bond while their deportation cases proceed. She ruled that the administration's policy, adopted in July, of denying bond hearings to those detained during domestic enforcement operations was illegal.
The decision aligns with dozens of other federal judges who have made similar rulings, but Sykes extended her ruling nationwide. The Trump administration had argued that circumstances varied individually, but Sykes stated that being deprived of a bond hearing was a common injury that could be resolved collectively.
Under federal immigration law, 'applicants for admission' are subject to mandatory detention. The Trump administration had reinterpreted this to include non-citizens already residing in the US, but Sykes disagreed, noting a clear legal distinction between existing residents and new arrivals.
Government data shows about 65,000 people were in immigration detention as of last week. The US Department of Justice and lawyers for the four migrants who filed the lawsuit have not commented.
