Judge Halts Trump's Plan for Rapid Deportations

A federal judge has intervened to temporarily prevent the Trump administration from enhancing its fast-deportation procedures for undocumented migrants within the heartland of the United States.

The decision deals a significant blow to the administration’s strategy of utilizing the expedited removal process to swiftly expel migrants residing illegally inside the country without a judicial hearing.

During his 2024 presidential campaign, Donald Trump pledged a large-scale deportation initiative, targeting a million deportations per year if he resumed office.

In her ruling, U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb in Washington, D.C., highlighted that the extended use of fast removals by the Trump administration threatens the due process rights of individuals involved.

Judge Cobb critiqued the government's stance by stating, "The government astonishingly argues that people who entered illegally receive no due process under the Fifth Amendment, relying instead on whatever Congress decides to give." Her Friday night opinion ran to 48 pages. "Accepting this premise would endanger not only noncitizens but everyone."

After Trump's inauguration in January, the Department of Homeland Security broadened the use of expedited deportations, targeting undocumented migrants residing in the U.S. for less than two years.

This initiative has sparked legal actions from the American Civil Liberties Union and immigration advocates.

Previously, expedited removal was restricted to migrants caught within 100 miles of the border with less than a 14-day stay in the U.S.

Judge Cobb, appointed by former President Joe Biden, took no issue with the expedited removal statute's border application or its legal foundations.

She pointed out, "The statute’s broad application to a vast number of undocumented residents within the nation’s interior demands that the government ensures their due process rights."

Earlier in the month, Cobb also moved to halt the administration’s attempt to fast-track the removal of lawful immigrants under humanitarian parole, benefiting a substantial number of individuals.

She concluded that Homeland Security exceeded its authority by attempting to enforce expansive deportations at the cost of the immigrants’ safety amidst an uncertainty that a pause in the plans would entail.

Since May, ICE officers have targeted individuals immediately after judges approve government motions to dismiss existing deportation cases, thus restarting proceedings under the expedited removal.

Deportation processes can be delayed through asylum claims, though many might be unaware of this option, and failure to succeed in preliminary screenings leads to swift deportations.