Story perspectives

Two Courts Block ICE Bond Rule, Halt NJ Warehouse

5/13/2026

Summary

Story summary

Federal courts in two regions simultaneously blocked key Trump administration immigration detention actions, one by restoring bond hearings and another by pausing a warehouse conversion.
The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that ICE must permit bond hearings for detainees, overturning the mandatory detention policy adopted in July 2025.
The mandatory detention rule, issued by ICE Director Todd Lyons and approved by the Board of Immigration Appeals, has faced opposing decisions in multiple appellate courts.
Immigration attorneys have filed bond motions for detainees such as Elvira Benitez Suarez, whose habeas petition is pending before Judge Chad Meredith in the Eastern District of Kentucky.
In New Jersey, DHS agreed to halt work on converting a Roxbury warehouse into a detention center until an environmental assessment under NEPA is completed, following a lawsuit by state and local officials.

History

Historical Context

Congress enacted the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act in September 1996, granting the Justice Department $1.5 billion for ICE and imposing mandatory detention on many non-citizens. The ACLU’s 1997 challenge spurred judicial review, and detainee counts exceeded 100,000 annually by 2005. The 6th Circuit’s recent order restoring bond hearings revives that oversight, echoing earlier limits and the 2022 Johnson v. Arteaga-Martinez ruling.

1 of 2

Story summary

Federal courts in two regions simultaneously blocked key Trump administration immigration detention actions, one by restoring bond hearings and another by pausing a warehouse conversion.
The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that ICE must permit bond hearings for detainees, overturning the mandatory detention policy adopted in July 2025.
The mandatory detention rule, issued by ICE Director Todd Lyons and approved by the Board of Immigration Appeals, has faced opposing decisions in multiple appellate courts.
Immigration attorneys have filed bond motions for detainees such as Elvira Benitez Suarez, whose habeas petition is pending before Judge Chad Meredith in the Eastern District of Kentucky.
In New Jersey, DHS agreed to halt work on converting a Roxbury warehouse into a detention center until an environmental assessment under NEPA is completed, following a lawsuit by state and local officials.

1 / 2