A new lawsuit filed in Charlotte aims to allow non-citizens to be released from police custody on bond.
Two immigration-rights groups filed the federal lawsuit on Wednesday. They contend that three of the four immigration judges in Charlotte are refusing to conduct bond hearings even though they are required to do so by law. For courts around the country, this is typically standard procedure.
The American Immigration Council and the Capital Area Immigrants' Rights Coalition say the result is that people are being held in custody for weeks who might otherwise 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 hearings in a different immigration court.
The U.S. Justice Department has declined comment. The Associated Press reached out to Charlotte immigration court judges, but they have not responded to messages seeking comment.