he American Civil Liberties Union vowed to take legal action after Attorney General William Barr directed immigration judges to deny bond hearings to asylum seekers who have been found to have “a credible fear of persecution or torture” in their home countries.
"This is the Trump administration’s latest assault on people fleeing persecution and seeking refuge in the United States," ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project Director Omar Jadwat said in a statement.
"Our Constitution does not allow the government to lock up asylum seekers without basic due process," he said, adding: "We'll see the administration in court."
On Tuesday, Barr ordered that immigration judges could no longer release asylum seekers who had established a credible fear of returning to their home countries on bond while their cases were pending.
The order, Barr's first related to immigration since he took office, ended the standard process, which typically allows asylum seekers who cross into the U.S. between designated ports of entry to ask a judge to release them on bond.
Under Barr's new order, they will be forced to wait in detention for the duration of their case.
