US judge throws out immigration board's ruling endorsing Trump mass detention policy [View all]
Source: Reuters
February 18, 2026 8:45 PM EST Updated 7 hours ago
Feb 18 (Reuters) - A federal judge threw out on Wednesday an administrative board's decision endorsing the Trump administration's policy of subjecting thousands of people arrested during its immigration crackdown to mandatory detention. U.S. District Judge Sunshine Sykes in Riverside, California, vacated the decision by the Board of Immigration Appeals after finding the administration had failed to comply with her earlier order declaring unlawful the underlying policy of denying detainees the chance to seek release on bond.
Sykes' Wednesday ruling, in a class action lawsuit that covers migrants nationwide, is more sweeping than decisions by hundreds of other U.S. judges holding the policy is unlawful and ordering detainees to be freed or given bond hearings.
Sykes, appointed by former Democratic President Joe Biden, called the administration's actions "shameless" and accused it of trying to continue its "campaign of illegal action" by still refusing bond hearings despite her prior ruling. "Respondents have far crossed the boundaries of constitutional conduct," Sykes wrote.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Justice, which oversees the board, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-judge-throws-out-immigration-boards-ruling-endorsing-trump-mass-detention-2026-02-19/
Link to ORDER (PDF) - https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/legaldocs/lbvgmqqblvq/02182026bond.pdf
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