On Friday, August 29th, a federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from expanding the use of expedited deportations to undocumented immigrants already residing within the United States.
The administration had sought to broaden the scope of expedited removal, a process typically used to quickly deport migrants caught within 14 days of entry and within 100 miles of the U.S. land border, to apply to undocumented individuals found anywhere in the country who have been in the U.S. for less than two years.
Washington District Judge Jia Cobb, a President Biden appointee, rejected the proposal. In a 48-page ruling, she stated that while expedited removal may be constitutional near the border, applying it to a much broader group of individuals already living in the interior requires due process protections, which the proposed expansion fails to provide.
She added that undocumented immigrants “possess significant civil liberties that entitle them to remain in the country while their cases are properly adjudicated.” Cobb warned that “prioritising speed above all else will inevitably lead to the wrongful removal of individuals under this truncated process.”
A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official criticised Friday’s ruling, telling The New York Post: “The previous administration enabled the occupation of our southern border. This activist judge’s decision ignores the president’s clear authority under Article II of the Constitution and the plain language of federal law.” The official added, “President Trump has the authority to arrest and deport the worst offenders. The law, the facts, and common sense are on our side.”
