POGO Weekly, Sat., August 22, 2026
Your weekly digest on government accountability August 22, 2026 Writing rights away ABUSING POWER AND RIGHTS How mass detention plays out in the courts In July of last year, a memo revealed that the Trump administration was directing ICE to detain immigrants for the whole duration of their removal proceedings, which can last months or even years, without the chance of a bond hearing. Mandatory detention is blatantly illegal, violating the due process and habeas corpus rights of millions of people. A report from Politico explores the immense strain the memo has put on courts around the country, which have, in the year since, taken up thousands upon thousands of challenges to the practice. The lower courts have together delivered an “overwhelming rebuke” of mandatory detention. Due process is a constitutional right. No administration has the authority to write those rights away. The policy is likely to be considered by the Supreme Court soon. The justices must follow the example ...