Do you Support Denying Bail to Certain Asylum Seekers?

What’s the story?

• In an effort to discourage migrants from crossing the southern border, the Trump administration has issued an order directing immigration judges to deny bail to some migrants claiming asylum—keeping thousands in jail while their cases are resolved.
• Under previous policy, those seeking asylum were granted a bail hearing if they claimed “credible fear” threats.
• The new order, issued by Attorney General William Barr, is part of President Donald Trump’s vow to clamp down on “catch and release” practices. The decision will go into effect in 90 days, so the Department of Homeland Security "may conduct the necessary operational planning," Barr wrote.

What are people saying?

Critics

• Immigration advocates have promised to challenge Barr’s order in court.

"This is the Trump administration’s latest assault on people fleeing persecution and seeking refuge in the United States. Our Constitution does not allow the government to lock up asylum seekers without basic due process. We'll see the administration in court,” Omar Jadwat, director of the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project, said in a statement.

Supporters

• The president has continued to push for ending a “catch and release” policy at the southern border.

"Catch and Release is an obsolete term. It is now Catch and Detain. Illegal Immigrants trying to come into the U.S.A., often proudly flying the flag of their nation as they ask for U.S. Asylum, will be detained or turned away," the president tweeted in November 2018.

What do you think?

Should immigration denies deny bail to certain unauthorized immigrants seeking asylum? Will this policy help end “catch and release” at the border? Take action and tell your reps, then share your thoughts below.

—Josh Herman

(Photo Credit: iStockphoto.com / vichinterlang)