CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - A new lawsuit tries to force immigration judges handling cases in the Carolinas to consider releasing non-citizens on bond as immigration courts around the country do.
Two immigration-rights groups filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday contending three of the four immigration judges in Charlotte are refusing to conduct bond hearings even though they are required to do so.
The American Immigration Council and the Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights Coalition say that means weeks of unnecessary detention for people who are eligible to be released on bond. The groups say detainees are forced to wait until after they are transferred out of the Carolinas before they can again seek bond in a different immigration court.
The U.S. Justice Department declined comment. Charlotte immigration court judges did not respond to messages seeking comment.
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