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The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case concerning the Trump Administration's interpretation of an ICE detention policy. This policy allows the detention of immigrants with long-standing ties to the U.S., not just recent border-crossers. The case will be heard during the court's upcoming term, which begins next week.
The policy, which has been challenged in lower courts over 20,000 times in the past 14 months, has been rejected by more than 450 judges, including some appointed by President Donald Trump. According to Reuters, the policy's critics argue that it represents a "radical reinterpretation" of immigration law.
The Supreme Court will decide if immigrants subject to deportation can be detained indefinitely without a bond hearing. NBC News reports that the case involves Ricardo Aparecido de Cunha, a Brazilian man detained in Massachusetts in 2025. Lower courts have been divided on whether the federal law cited by the Trump administration applies only to those detained near the border.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is leading the challenge against the policy, arguing that it could affect millions of noncitizens. The ACLU states that the policy denies bond hearings to immigrants apprehended anywhere in the U.S., regardless of how long they have lived in the country.
Attorneys from the Trump administration argue that the policy is legal under a 1996 immigration law and is necessary to prevent a "patchwork" of inconsistent immigration enforcement. Spectrum News notes that the Supreme Court's decision could either endorse or end this key feature of President Trump's immigration crackdown.
The ruling is expected by the end of June, and it could have significant implications for immigration enforcement across the United States.