Even though the number of illegal immigrants who have been deported through the courts has dropped by 43% since President Barack Obama took office, the Obama administration may enact administrative changes to allow bond hearings for detained illegal immigrants.
According to the Los Angeles Times, this could result in “several thousand” illegal immigrants being released from jails and “could slow the pace of deportations” even more.
The Times notes that the White House is scrambling to “ease the concerns of Latino groups and other traditional allies that have turned on President Obama in recent weeks” by trying to brand him as the “deporter in chief.” That label has been proven to be nothing more than a myth in reports, not only from Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), but in the Los Angeles Times and The New York Times.
The American Civil Liberties Union has found that “871 of 1,262 immigration detainees who were given bond hearings after a September 2012 federal district court ruling in California were ordered released on bond, or released with an ankle monitor, regular check-ins or other restrictions.”
The LA Times also notes that “Justice Department lawyers have spent years fighting proposals to require bond hearings,” and the White House “has not yet decided whether to drop its objections to the federal court’s decision or appeal to the Supreme Court.”