A U.S. appeals court ruled Tuesday against the Donald Trump administration’s immigration policy that instructs authorities to detain – without bail – migrants who are caught in the country.
Unanimously, the three judges of the Second Circuit Court in New York rejected the government’s interpretation of the immigration law by forcing people who are arrested by immigration authorities to remain in detention while their cases are being resolved, processes that can last months or even years.
Court warns of “seismic” impact of mass migrant detention without bail
#MIGRANTS Appeals court rules against Trump’s migrant detention policy https://t.co/uyMZRxFseZ
– Proceso Digital (@ProcesoDigital) April 28, 2026
In the ruling, the judges noted that accepting such a policy would amount to “the broadest mandate of mass detention without bail in our nation’s history for millions” of migrants.
“The Government’s interpretation (…) would cause a seismic impact on our immigration detention system and society.”
“By straining an already overcrowded detention infrastructure, incarcerating millions of people, separating families, and destabilizing communities,” the court explained.
Under Trump’s new immigration policy, which was adopted last year, anyone who entered the U.S. irregularly is subject to:
Have her detained without bail, no matter how long she has been in the country.
Immigration detentions soar: Trump’s policy sets record numbers
This Trump immigration policy was a major departure from how that law has worked in the past.
Since it only applied to persons detained at ports of entry, for example at the southern border.
Or those who were considered a threat to public safety.
As a consequence of this new interpretation, in parallel to the campaign of mass arrests of migrants in the interior of the country, the number of people in immigration detention has reached historic highs.
In January of this year, the Trump Administration held more than 70,700 migrants in detention, the highest number on record.
Three judges blocked Trump
QuéOnnda.com
Growing demands from migrants
The situation has led thousands of migrants across the country to file habeas corpus petitions in federal courts.
This to request their release, with an average of two hundred new cases per day.
Half of them in California and Texas, according to data compiled by ProPublica.
However, the New York court’s decision only applies to the states of New York, Connecticut and Vermont, which are under the court’s jurisdiction.
Other appellate courts in other parts of the country, including the Fifth Circuit (Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi), and the Eighth Circuit (Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota) have ruled, in separate cases, in favor of the Republican detention policy.
With information from EFE
For more information, visit QuéOnnda.com
