Wednesday, November 30, 2016

SCOTUS to Decide if Indefinite Immigrant Detention is Illegal

For two and a half years Astrid Morataya languished behind bars, living out a double punishment for a sentence she had already served.

The single mother of three had paid her time for a minor drug charge buried long in her past. But then 15 years later cops showed up at Morataya's door once again.

Police threw her into jail, this time along with an order of deportation. And like thousands of immigrants detained nationwide, Morataya would spend years behind bars, all the while trying to prove she had the legal right to stay in the United States.

The right of due process is a core tenet of American values. But the issue before the U.S. Supreme Court in oral arguments on Wednesday raises fundamental questions about the scope of those rights for immigrants.

Does the federal government have the authority to detain immigrants indefinitely? Or, should immigrants be given the opportunity for release on bond — like all U.S. citizens — once their detention time exceeds a certain limit? 

Click here for the full article. 

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