ACLU Challenges Trump Administration's Bond Policy for Immigrants

A class-action lawsuit has been filed in Colorado to challenge the Trump administration's new policy denying bond eligibility to millions of immigrants detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The lawsuit, brought by the ACLU of Colorado, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the Meyer Law Office, argues that the policy is unlawful and a departure from longstanding immigration law. The plaintiffs claim that the policy threatens to imprison millions of immigrants with no criminal records and deep ties to their communities, and that it violates constitutional safeguards for due process.

Key Takeaways:

• The lawsuit challenges the Trump administration's policy denying bond eligibility to millions of immigrants detained by ICE, arguing that it is unlawful and a departure from longstanding immigration law.
• The policy affects millions of immigrants living in the United States, regardless of how long they have been living here.
• The lawsuit seeks class certification for others in Colorado subject to the new policy and argues that the policy violates constitutional safeguards for due process.
• Current federal law mandates detention without bond eligibility only under limited circumstances, which the lawsuit asserts Mendoza Gutierrez and others similarly situated do not meet.
• The lawsuit also argues that Mendoza Gutierrez's detention without eligibility for bond raises serious constitutional concerns and violates fundamental safeguards for due process.

Statistics:

• 3 million immigrants in the United States are affected by the Trump administration's new policy denying bond eligibility (based on estimates).
• The policy affects immigrants living in the country without documentation, who are subject to detention and deportation.
• The lawsuit asserts that Mendoza Gutierrez and others similarly situated do not meet the statutory criteria that limit bond eligibility.
• The ACLU and other immigrants' rights advocates have already filed a class-action lawsuit in California challenging ICE's new bond policy.

Sources:

• ACLU of Colorado (press release)
• American Civil Liberties Union
• Meyer Law Office