U.S. Appeals Court Rules Immigrants Can Be Detained Without Bond

Thu Mar 26 2026 06:51:38 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

In a significant ruling, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals supports the government's ability to detain immigrants without bond, reaffirming the Trump administration's immigration policies and contradicting recent lower court decisions.

An appeals court has upheld the right of U.S. authorities to detain immigrants without offering bond hearings, a move lauded by officials who support strict immigration enforcement. The decision overrules earlier court judgments that argued such practices are illegal, further entrenching recent policies aimed at controlling immigration.

The U.S. can continue to detain immigrants without bond, an appeals court ruled on Wednesday, marking a victory for the Trump administration’s hardline stance on immigration. The opinion from a panel of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis overturns a lower court ruling requiring Mexican national Joaquin Herrera Avila to receive a bond hearing after his arrest for lacking legal documentation.

This decision is the second of its kind from an appeals court, following a ruling from the 5th Circuit in New Orleans, which stated that the Department of Homeland Security's refusal to provide bond hearings aligns with both the Constitution and federal immigration law. The rulings challenge recent lower court findings that deemed the practice illegal.

Avila, who had lived in the U.S. for several years, sought a bond hearing after being detained without bond. The federal judge's previous decision granted him relief, arguing he wasn’t 'seeking admission' as he had not applied for naturalization or asylum.

In a narrow 2-1 ruling, Circuit Court Judge Bobby E. Shepherd stated that the law defines 'an applicant for admission' as one actively seeking entry. Judge Ralph R. Erickson dissented, contending that prior legal precedents would have granted Avila a bond hearing.

The ruling has drawn mixed reactions, with some seeing it as a win for immigration enforcement while critics perceive it as a blow to individual rights under the habeas corpus principle, which allows individuals to challenge their detention.

Since the Trump administration took office, immigrants have filed over 30,000 habeas corpus petitions in federal courts regarding legal detentions, with many achieving some level of success.