U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is tightening its approach to immigration enforcement by detaining more migrants under a rarely used legal authority. In a memo sent to ICE staff on July 8, Acting Director Todd Lyons announced that individuals who enter the U.S. illegally will no longer be eligible for bond hearings before an immigration judge.
Instead, under the updated policy, migrants will only be released if the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) grants a specific exception. The shift is based on a 1996 law that allows ICE to hold people without bond—a law that until now had been used more selectively.
The move, first reported by The Washington Post, marks a significant expansion in ICE’s detention powers and signals a broader immigration crackdown by the Biden administration. As the agency invokes this “extraordinarily broad and equally complex” authority, thousands of migrants could now be detained for extended periods while awaiting immigration court decisions.
Additionally, the administration is reportedly exploring the option of deporting migrants to third countries as part of this tougher stance on illegal immigration.
