The U.S. Supreme Court is poised to decide the issue of if detained immigrants facing deportation proceedings should be allowed bail hearings after spending more than six months in custody.

The case stems from a 2010 class-action lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union against the Immigrations and Custom Enforcement (ICE) branch of the U.S. government.

More specifically, the case revolves around the plight of 1,000 immigrants in California, all of whom languished behind bars for extended periods after being accosted for either crossing the border illegally or committing certain crimes while considered legal residents.

ACLU officials have long argued that immigrants held in detention centers across the country who demonstrate that they will show up for court hearings and pose no public threat should be entitled to the right to go before a judge for a bail hearing.

California Court, Appeals Court Have Already Decided in Favor of Detainees

A California court has already sided with the ACLU, and the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco later upheld the lower court's verdict on appeal.

Still, the U.S. Department of Justice argues that the appeal court's decision was "fundamentally wrong" and has now "dramatically expanded the number of people eligible for hearings and set a high bar for the government."

Lead Plantiff Spent Years at Detention Center

The lead plaintiff in the case is identified as Alejandro Rodriguez, who was brought to the U.S. as an infant and became a legal permanent resident. Back in 2003, Rodriguez was convicted of drug possession and ordered to be deported.

Over time, he spent three years in detention and data shows once an immigrant is held over six months the typical stay for a detainee at the Central District of California center is well over a year.

The ACLU argues such acts are unconstitutional, setting the stage for the high court to hear the case during its next term running from October until June 2017.

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