Caribbean immigration advocates welcome court rejection of Trump’s attempt to deny immigrants bond hearings
NEW YORK, United States (CMC) — Caribbean immigration advocates have welcomed a United States (US) Federal Court of Appeals’ rejection of President Donald Trump’s attempt to deny bond hearings for Caribbean and other immigrants.
The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans ruled that people in immigration detention have the right to meaningful due process and must receive a bond hearing within 90 days.
The decision rejects the Trump administration’s attempt to detain immigrants without having to justify their continued detention before a judge.
The 2-1 ruling applies to immigrants held in immigration detention across Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi — states that collectively detain some of the largest numbers of immigrants in the country.
“For thousands of people who have been held for prolonged periods without meaningful due process, the decision makes clear that the federal government must justify their continued detention,” Murad Awawdeh, president and chief executive officer of the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) on Monday.
NYIC is an umbrella coalition of over 200 immigration and refugee groups in New York State.
“Every person, no matter where they were born, deserves to be treated with dignity and has the constitutional right to due process,” Awawdeh added. “No one should be deprived of their liberty without a meaningful opportunity to make their case before a judge.”
“We applaud the appeals court in this case for reaffirming this fundamental principle and making clear that the government cannot detain people without accountability,” he continued. “At a time when the Trump administration is spending billions of taxpayer dollars to expand and prolong immigration detention for our immigrant neighbours, this decision is a critical reminder that the Constitution still applies.”
“The law is clear: immigrants have the right to ask for a bond hearing,” he said. “Families belong together, and Americans deserve a government that follows the law.”
