Illegal Aliens Facing Deportation Must Be Detained After Release From Criminal Custody, Justices Rule
Article publisher:
ENM News
Article date:
19 March 2019
Article category:
National News
Medium
Article Body:
The Supreme Court on Tuesday adopted a strict interpretation of a federal immigration law, saying it required the detention of [illegal alien] immigrants facing deportation without the possibility of bail if they had committed crimes, including minor ones, no matter how long ago they had been released from criminal custody.
The vote was 5 to 4, with the court’s more conservative justices in the majority. Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., writing for the majority, said the plain language of a federal law required the result....
Justice Alito said the law may be subject to constitutional challenges in individual cases, a subject that was not before the justices. It was clear, he wrote, that Congress had required the secretary of Homeland Security to take into custody immigrants released from criminal custody even if years had passed in the meantime.
“An official’s crucial duties are better carried out late than never,” Justice Alito wrote.