Supreme Court Rules That Illegal Migrants Are Not Entitled to Bond Hearings

Americans on both sides of the abortion debate are waiting with bated breath for the Supreme Court’s decision in the case of Dobbs v, Jackson Women’s Health that would overturn Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey and eliminate the federal standard regarding abortion access. That decision hasn’t come out yet, but the Justices did release their decision regarding bond hearings for illegal migrants.

In what was an almost unanimous decision, the Supreme Court ruled 8-1 that migrants are not entitled to bond hearings even after they have been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement for six months. The sole dissenter was Justice Stephen Breyer.

The Court reversed a lower court ruling that “held the immigrant at the center of the case, Antonio Arteaga-Martinez, was entitled to a bond hearing because he had been detained for more than 6 months,” reports The Daily Mail.

The eight Justices held that immigration law requires detaining migrants who were previously deported and were found illegally in the U.S. again. They are not entitled to a bond hearing to show whether they are a flight risk or a danger to the community, the Justices ruled.

One twitter user said this: “According to the Court, the government does NOT have the burden of proving why it should be allowed to continue detaining people for months or years on end. So, while the government can provide bond hearings if it so chooses, the law doesn’t require it.”

Maybe the thought that they could be held in jail for long periods of time with no right to a bond hearing will dissuade some migrants from entering our country illegally. Maybe it will encourage some to try to become U.S. citizens legally. What do you think of the Supreme Court’s decision?

Stacey Warner