BORDER/COURTS/DHS/IMMIGRATION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Migrants who say they face persecution or torture if they return to their countries could be jailed indefinitely in the USA under the Trump administration’s latest effort to stem the surge of asylum seekers arriving at the border. Attorney General William Barr, who oversees immigration courts, directed judges Tuesday [4-16-19] to deny bond hearings for asylum seekers, which would keep migrants in detention while they wait for months, even years, for their claims to be heard. The decision, a departure from a years-long practice of allowing asylum seekers who show credible fear of persecution to seek bail, will be challenged in court. Barr delayed the effective date of his ruling by 90 days, acknowledging that it will have ‘an immediate and significant impact’ on overcrowded detention centers. The Department of Homeland Security requested the delay, so the agency ‘may conduct necessary operational planning,’ Barr wrote in a footnote at the end of his 11-page ruling. Civil rights organizations promptly vowed to sue, saying the decision would result in unlawful and unnecessary detention of thousands of asylum seekers with valid claims.”
–Kristine Phillips, “Trump administration directs judges to deny bond hearings for asylum seekers in latest border crackdown,” USA Today, April 17, 2019, 5:08 pm