Federal judge blocks Trump administration asylum-seeker detention order
Migrants at a makeshift detention center in El Paso, Texas, March 27. Photo: Sergio Flores for The Washington Post via Getty Images
A federal judge in Seattle blocked Tuesday a Trump administration policy denying bond hearings to migrants seeking asylum, ruling it "unconstitutional" to do so while they pursue their cases.
Why it matters: In April, Attorney General William Barr issued the order preventing immigration judges from granting bail to asylum-seekers, aligning with President Trump's vow to end "catch and release" at the southern border. An immigration lawyer told Axios in April that it represented an effort by the administration to get the Supreme Court to establish what rights migrants who cross the border actually have.
Go deeper: How the U.S. asylum process works