Ninth Circuit Court rules against Trump administration's bond policy for detained migrants

A federal appeals court ruled on Thursday that the Trump administration cannot deny migrants detained in the U.S. a chance for release on bond. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco made the decision in a 2-1 ruling against the administration's expanded mandatory detention policy. Four other appeals courts have also rejected this policy, while the Fifth Circuit and Eighth Circuit have ruled in favor of the federal government. This split among circuit courts increases the likelihood that the U.S. Supreme Court will consider the case, as the administration requested last month. The Department of Homeland Security expressed strong disagreement with the Ninth Circuit's ruling, asserting confidence in its legal stance regarding mandatory detention. Under previous administrations, most undocumented immigrants without a criminal record could seek a bond hearing while their immigration cases were pending, but the current administration expanded mandatory detention to include those already in the U.S. This policy change has led to multiple lawsuits from immigrants seeking release. Judge Daniel Bress, who was appointed by President Trump, stated that the historical understanding of the statute is more accurate than the administration's interpretation. Judge Carlos Bea, appointed by President George W. Bush, dissented, supporting the administration's position.