The Trump administration is reportedly crafting proposals that would make it extremely difficult for migrants from Latin America to seek asylum in the U.S., but in the meantime, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has found creative ways to keep asylum seekers locked up and separated from their children. On Wednesday, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, a lawyer representing a Honduran woman who has already passed the first, credible-fear stage of her asylum claim process, told NPR on Wednesday that her client is still being held apart from her kids, in apparent violation of orders from federal judges.
"Lincoln-Goldfinch says she and other immigration attorneys believe this is ICE's new policy to deny bonds or set them so high, in excess of $10,000, they're out of reach for immigrants who arrive broke," NPR's John Burnett said. "She thinks it's part of the government's campaign to stop what it calls the catch and release of unauthorized immigrants." ICE denied targeting asylum seekers or setting bonds punitively, but the numbers suggest otherwise. In his ruling Monday, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg in Washington, D.C., said ICE has to follow its own directives to parole, or release, asylum seekers who pass the credible-fear hurdle. In five ICE districts, President Trump's ICE has been paroling essentially zero of those asylum seekers, versus 90 percent under former President Barack Obama. You can listen to Burnett's full report below. Peter Weber
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Musk vows DOGE pullback as Tesla profits plungeSpeed Read The Tesla SEO says he will soon step back from government matters to devote more time to the company
-
IMF sees slump from tariffs, Trump tries to calm marketsSpeed Read The International Monetary Fund predicts the U.S. and global economies will slow significantly due to the president's trade war
-
DHS chief Kristi Noem's purse stolen from eaterySpeed Read Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's purse was stolen while she dined with family at a restaurant in Washington, D.C.
-
Trump stands by Hegseth amid ouster reportsSpeed Read The president dismissed reports that he was on the verge of firing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over a second national security breach
-
Hegseth reportedly shared war plans in 2nd group textSpeed Read The defense secretary sent information about an attack in Yemen to a Signal group chat that included his wife and brother
-
Judge threatens Trump team with criminal contemptSpeed Read James Boasberg attempts to hold the White House accountable for disregarding court orders over El Salvador deportation flights
-
Biden slams Trump's Social Security cutsSpeed Read In his first major public address since leaving office, Biden criticized the Trump administration's 'damage' and 'destruction'
-
El Salvador refuses to return US deporteeSpeed Read President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador said he would not send back the unlawfully deported Kilmar Ábrego García
