Immigrants who arrive in the United States without documents will no longer be eligible for a bond hearing.
The new policy change was announced in a memo last week from the acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons.
Before the policy change, immigrants could request a bond hearing before an immigration judge. The move comes as the Trump administration ramps up efforts to keep immigrants legally detained.
Both Republicans and Democrats have acknowledged struggles with the nation's immigration system. Before President Donald Trump returned to office, a rising number of migrants from Central America attempted to enter the U.S. to claim asylum, which would give those immigrants potential legal status to stay in the U.S. until their claims are adjudicated.
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According to Syracuse University's Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, immigration courts have a backlog of 3.46 million cases. Of those, 2.2 million immigrants are awaiting asylum hearings.
According to the Transnational Records Access Clearinghouse, a record number of 57,861 detainees are being held in U.S. custody.
The group says that ICE has the capacity to house 62,913 nationally at any one time. But that number is expected to rise as Congress has authorized more funding for immigration enforcement.
