PHOENIX (AP) — Detained asylum seekers who have shown they have a credible fear of returning to their country will no longer be able ask a judge to grant them bond.
U.S. Attorney General William Barr decided Tuesday that asylum seekers who clear a “credible fear” interview and are facing deportation don’t have the right to be released on bond while their cases are pending.
Only the Department of Homeland Security could allow their release.
It’s Barr’s first immigration-related decision since taking office and takes effect in 90 days.
The decision doesn’t affect asylum-seeking families because they generally can’t be held for longer than 20 days. It also doesn’t apply to unaccompanied minors.
The attorney general has the authority to overturn prior rulings made by immigration courts, which fall under the Justice Department.
