Overview

• The policy took effect nationwide on July 8 through a memorandum by acting ICE Director Todd M. Lyons instructing officers to deny bond eligibility to all undocumented immigrants.
• Bond determinations have been shifted from immigration judges to ICE officers, reversing decades of case law on detainee release.
• Congress’s July appropriations bill allocated funding to increase ICE’s daily detention capacity from 58,000 to 100,000 beds.
• Civil rights groups and immigration lawyers warn the policy will leave detainees locked up for months or years without judicial oversight.
• Legal experts say the policy defies decades of detention norms and is poised for immediate litigation.