The Trump administration is turning a key page in its effort to restore law and order on the border. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has implemented a sweeping new directive: no bond will be permitted for illegal immigrants detained in the United States. Instead, they’ll be held until their immigration case is resolved—whether that takes months or even years.
The move was laid out in a July 8 memo from Acting ICE Director Todd M. Lyons and echoed by Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott. The policy marks a sharp break from the Biden-era “catch and release” approach, which allowed illegals to post a modest bond and remain free while awaiting a court date—often years away.
ICE’s new rule leans on the statutory language of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which states that individuals “shall be detained” once apprehended. Previously, that applied mostly to border encounters, but under the Trump administration’s new enforcement plan, it will now extend to all illegal immigrants—whether caught at the border or already living in the country.
“This is their way of putting in place nationwide a method of detaining even more people,” said Greg Chen of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. But as many supporters of the policy point out, these are not “innocents caught in a system.” They are individuals who knowingly entered or remained in the U.S. illegally. Their status already violates the law.
Rare exceptions for parole will still exist, but only under limited and exceptional circumstances—and crucially, they can only be granted by an immigration officer, not a judge or court.
Why now? The answer lies in the financial muscle behind the change. Thanks to $45 billion earmarked in the One Big Beautiful Bill, ICE now has the funding to expand detention facilities across the country—including the new “Alligator Alcatraz” complex in Florida.
ICE’s most recent annual report revealed that more than 7.6 million illegal immigrants were at large in the U.S., many of them free on bond awaiting immigration hearings. The number of total illegals remains unknown, but this new policy is aimed at shrinking it—fast.
While the policy is expected to face stiff legal opposition, the courts are already showing signs of backing ICE’s tougher stance. In March, the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project lost its challenge to the no-bond policy in Washington state. One high-profile case, involving long-term resident Ramon Rodriguez Vazquez, ended with the man voluntarily self-deporting rather than endure prolonged detention.
For Trump supporters, this marks a much-needed shift toward restoring the rule of law after years of unchecked immigration. Critics lament the loss of “individual review,” but the administration points to the fact that every detained immigrant still receives a hearing and has the right to appeal. They also have another option: leave voluntarily.
The larger question looms: Can a nation survive if it cannot or will not control its borders? For years, both political parties tolerated growing illegal immigration, pressured by business interests and activist groups. But under President Trump’s second term, that era may finally be ending.
The new policy doesn’t just signal a break from Biden’s open-border chaos—it also signals that Trump’s immigration overhaul is fully operational. The message is clear: if you enter the U.S. illegally, there is no more escape hatch. No bond. No bail. Just detention and a court ruling. And for many, a ticket home.