The U.S. Supreme Court decided immigrants who face deportation and are held by the government aren't entitled to periodic bond hearings.
The high court ruled 5-3 Tuesday that while those immigrants are detained, they don't have the right to hearings that might let them post bail and leave jail before a trial.
Immigration advocates argue bond hearings are necessary for detained immigrants until their case is heard in court.
Wednesday in Downtown Bakersfield, immigration advocate groups joined others across the country speaking out against the ruling.
"Right now we are just treating so many people like criminals when all they were trying to do was come here and get a pice of the American dream," said Neel Sannappa with Our Revolution Kern County.
Sannappa continues onto say he fears for immigrants potentially affected by the ruling locally, at the Mesa Verde Detention Center in Bakersfield.
The Supreme Court wrote in its opinion, "Immigration officials are authorized to detain certain aliens in the course of immigration proceedings while they determine whether those aliens may be lawfully present in the country."
The ruling overturns a lower court's decision that required a bond hearing every six months for certain immigrants in custody — as long as they aren't considered a flight risk or a threat to national security.
This week's ruling avoided a judgment on whether the Constitution requires such hearings, returning that issue to an appellate court.
