Key facts
- A federal appeals court has allowed the Trump administration to expand its fast-track deportation process nationwide.
- The ruling overturns a lower court's decision that had blocked the expansion.
- The expanded process permits the expedited removal of migrants who are not near the U.S. border.
- The policy was challenged by immigrant rights organizations citing due process violations.
- The appeals court ruled 2-1 in favor of the administration's policy.
A federal appeals court has cleared the way for the Trump administration to expand its fast-track deportation process, allowing for the expedited removal of migrants who are living far from the U.S. border. The ruling on Tuesday by a 2-1 panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit overturned a lower court's decision that had blocked the administration's move.
Expedited removal, which allows for quick deportation without a court hearing, was previously limited to individuals apprehended within 100 miles of the border and who had been in the U.S. for 14 days or fewer. The Trump administration sought to apply this process nationwide, targeting immigrants who could not prove continuous residency for two years. The plaintiffs, including immigrant rights organizations, argued that the expanded policy undermines due process.
Judge Justin R. Walker, one of the Trump appointees on the panel, wrote that the plaintiffs had not "shown that the expedited-removal process denies its members notice and an opportunity to be heard." The Trump administration had argued in an appeal that the expansion was legal and necessary to combat illegal immigration. Judge Robert L. Wilkins, an Obama appointee, dissented, arguing that immigration officers acting under the expanded expedited removal policies did not advise detainees of their rights and wrongfully deported multiple undocumented immigrants.