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Louisville Public Media
September 1, 2026

Immigrants jailed in Kentucky won in court, but many still can’t be freed on bond
By Morgan Watkins


Nationwide, immigration judges granted bond in only 30% of cases from Oct. 2025 through June 2026, according to federal records analyzed by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University. When someone wins a bond, they have to be able to pay to get out of ICE detention. Of the granted bonds nationally, the median amount is $6,500. Among the 18 cases KyCIR identified where immigration judges granted bond to people jailed by ICE in Western Kentucky, bond amounts ranged from $1,500 to $25,000. In 11 of those cases, the amount exceeded the recent national median amount.


Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, Syracuse University
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