Judge rules strict bond policy in Tacoma immigration court is unlawful

A federal judge ruled Tuesday the Tacoma immigration court’s sweeping practice of denying bond to many detained immigrants — even if they have lived in the U.S. for decades — is unlawful.

U.S. District Judge Tiffany Cartwright’s ruling in a class-action suit filed in March rebuffs what subsequently became a national Trump administration policy for immigrants who entered the country without authorization.

Cartwright wrote the Tacoma court’s practice violates the Immigration and Nationality Act as it has long been understood.

“If Congress had wished to enact the transformation of the immigration detention system that defendants contend it did — requiring the detention of millions of people currently living and working in the United States — then it would have said so more clearly,” Cartwr