The writ of habeas corpus, a right deeply rooted in English common law and recognized by the U.S. Constitution, allows people nabbed by the government to

This right also extends to noncitizens held within the United States, and in the case of those migrants who have been detained by the federal government, pending removal from the country as a part of Trump’s mass deportation plans, habeas corpus can be used to challenge.

The future of habeas corpus has been pushed into the spotlight as President Donald Trump has been involved in discussions inside his administration over potentially taking the extreme step of suspending the procedure.