Arizona rejects bail for immigrants, Supreme Court vetoes

Arizona denies bail for immigrants, Supreme Court vetoes Hundreds of illegal immigrants who were held without bail under Arizona's draconian anti-immigrant law may soon have a chance...

According to the Associated Press, the Supreme Court upheld a lower court's ruling three weeks ago that overturned Arizona's draconian anti-immigrant law passed in 2006. The anti-immigration law denies bail to illegal immigrants detained on felony charges. The felony charges include shoplifting, aggravated identity theft, sexual assault and homicide.

Illegal immigrants are often detained in jails for months while this draconian law is enforced. They often plead guilty and are turned over to federal immigration authorities for deportation.

The federal Supreme Court ruling has cleared the way for a new wave of bail hearings across Arizona.

Last month, an 11-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned Arizona's strict anti-immigration law, saying the law violated people's due process rights by imposing punishment before trial. The committee also said the law was a "shoot-to-shoot" approach to all immigrants, some of whom may have fled their home countries to escape persecution by authoritarian authorities. There is no evidence that the law addresses an issue of particular importance.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and County Attorney Bill Montgomery defended the state law in court.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) welcomed the Supreme Court’s ruling.

Cecillia Wang, director of the ACLU's Immigrant Rights Project, said: "Today's Supreme Court ruling should thwart Arizona's unconstitutional attempt to throw away the presumption of innocence and everyone's right to a bail hearing."