Supreme Court refuses bond hearings for repeat illegal immigrants

The justices split between conservatives and liberals in a 6-3 decision over migrant detention. The case involved previously deported noncitizens who illegally reentered the United States and said they would face persecution if they returned to their countries. In delivering the majority opinion, Justice Samuel Alito wrote that people in those situations were not entitled to a bond hearing, which could release them from detention while the court evaluated their claims.

What does this mean? The decision reversed an appeals court ruling and sided with arguments made by the Trump administration before President Joe Biden’s inauguration. Investigating the immigrants’ cases can take years, but Alito clarified that the government cannot detain them indefinitely.

Dig deeper: Read Harvest Prude’s report in The Stew on Biden’s immigration policy.