October 26, 2001LEGISLATIONTerrorism detentionNational securityMandatory detention categoriesCertificate procedures
USA PATRIOT Act adds terrorism-related mandatory detention authority
Congress enacts the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (PATRIOT) Act. Section 412 empowers the Attorney General to certify aliens as terrorism threats and mandate their detention without bond. The new regime applies to all alien classifications. This provision creates detention categories untethered to individualized dangerousness determinations.