After a series of high-profile setbacks in federal court, the Trump administration is threatening to escalate its immigration crackdown by unilaterally suspending habeas corpus, a foundational right in the US that allows people in government custody to challenge the legality of their detention.

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.

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