Appeals court lets Trump expand fast-track deportations to the US interior
The US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit cleared the way on June 23 for the Trump administration to use expedited removal against non-citizens detained anywhere in the country who cannot demonstrate they have lived in the US for more than two years. The ruling reverses an August order by District Judge Jia Cobb, who had warned the streamlined process risked wrongly deporting people.
Writing for the panel, Judge Justin Walker said the administration could “expedite removal to the maximum extent allowed by Congress.” Expedited removal lets immigration officers order deportations without a hearing before an immigration judge, and rights groups argue extending it into the interior denies due process by stripping the ability to appeal.
The practical effect is to widen the pool of people subject to removal without court review, shifting the burden onto individuals to document their time in the country. The case is likely to continue, but in the interim the policy can take effect nationwide.