ProPublica: These Judges Take Months to Decide If Immigrants Have Been Unlawfully Detained

 Carla Astudillo for ProPublica reports on the impacts of the Trump administration's mass detention of noncitizens. "Immigrants with no criminal convictions, who under previous administrations would have been released on bond or not detained in the first place, would now be held while their immigration cases were pending." In response, tens of thousands of detainees have filed habeas corpus petitions, claiming that they are being unlawfully held. "[T]heir chances of a speedy ruling have varied dramatically. For some, freedom came within days. Others have waited months for a decision. Some were deported before a judge could rule." 

Here are highlights from the report:

• "Delayed Decisions: Amid a national surge in habeas petitions, federal courts in Mississippi and Louisiana have typically taken three months or more to rule on detainees’ freedom.
• How Others Adjusted: Federal courts with more cases, such as in California and Florida, have closed cases at a faster rate, usually within weeks, according to a ProPublica analysis.
• Waiting in Detention: Advocates say the delays leave people waiting in prisonlike detention facilities. Some are asking to be deported rather than wait."