A divided federal appeals court ruled Friday that thousands of people held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Texas cannot seek bond hearings while their deportation cases proceed, including detainees who have spent months or years in custody. The full 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals voted 10-7 that Congress intended to limit release for people facing possible deportation after entering the country without permission. The decision applies even to people who have lived in the United States for years, have no criminal record and have attended ICE check-ins. The ruling is a significant legal victory for the Trump administration’s year-old policy of mandatory detention for those who entered the country unlawfully. That policy has faced broad opposition in other courts: more than 460 federal district judges appointed by presidents of both parties have rejected it, as have nine of the 11 appeals court circuits to consider the issue, according to figures cited in court coverage. The Supreme Court has agreed to review the policy this term. The 5th Circuit’s decision covers detainees in Texas, where the ruling gives federal immigration authorities stronger footing to keep people in custody without an opportunity to ask an immigration judge for release on bond while their cases are pending.