Ruling by AG Barr May Keep Tens of Thousands of Migrants Waiting in Detention Indefinitely


Bill Barr

A new ruling by Attorney General Bill Barr could keep tens of thousands of migrants seeking asylum waiting in detention indefinitely.

Under US law, the Attorney General has the right to overturn rulings by immigration judges and Bill Barr did just that.

Barr weighed in on an immigration case on Tuesday and said that asylum seekers who are awaiting removal and are not given a right to see a judge, should not be released into the US on bond.

Asylum seekers who used to be released into the US on bond while awaiting a decision from a judge on their immigration case will now be kept in detention centers indefinitely where they could be waiting for years for.

NBC News reported:

“This ruling gives [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] the legal authority to detain all of these people indefinitely,” said Sarah Pierce, a policy analyst with the Migration Policy Institute, an immigration think tank. “That’s if they have the capacity. So I think the actual effect of this ruling will be severely limited by ICE’s capacity.”

Due to the limited capacity, Barr said his decision should go into effect in 90 days in order to give ICE time to build bed space.

The decision is expected to affect a broad swath of immigrants coming to the southwest border to claim asylum. Immigrants who enter the U.S. without documents, or with documents suspected to be fraudulent, are placed into expedited removal before they have an interview with U.S. asylum officers at which they try to establish they have credible fear for their safety if they return to their home countries.

Barr’s decision reversed an immigration judge’s decision to release an immigrant on bond while waiting for his proceedings. He also said that the Board of Immigration Appeals, a panel that reviews immigration court decisions, “wrongly decided” that only immigrants who enter the U.S. through legal ports of entry should be detained while others could be released on bond.

As a result of the decision, thousands of asylum seekers will remain in ICE detention while they await a decision in their case. Families with children under 18, however, will not be affected because of a federal court decision that prevents minors from being held longer than 20 days.

The crisis at the US-Mexico border is the worst this country has ever seen.

Multiple caravans originating in the Honduras with tens of thousands of military-aged male migrants have marched through Mexico northbound to the US border seeking asylum.

In March alone, over 100,000 illegals were detained by US Border Patrol agents.

In February, the President declared a national emergency to secure funding to build a border wall, however, the dangerous “catch and release” asylum policies are allowing illegals to be released into US communities.

Bill Barr said during his confirmation hearings that he would be tough on illegal immigration and it looks like he’s stepping up to the plate.

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Cristina began writing for The Gateway Pundit in 2016 and she is now the Associate Editor.

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