Judge Halts Trump’s Fast-Track Deportation Plan
Judge Blocks Trump’s Expansion of Fast-Track Deportations
WASHINGTON – A federal judge has halted former President Donald Trump’s effort to broaden the use of “expedited removal,” a fast-track deportation process originally reserved for migrants caught near the U.S.-Mexico border.
The procedure, long used to quickly deport people apprehended within two weeks of crossing the border, was expanded under Trump in January to cover the entire country and apply to migrants who had lived in the U.S. for up to two years.
U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb struck down that expansion on Friday, warning it risked wrongful deportations without giving migrants a fair chance to prove their eligibility to remain.
“Unlike the group of people who have traditionally been subject to expedited removal — those detained at or near the border shortly after crossing — the group of people the Government is now subjecting to expedited removal have long since entered our country,” Cobb wrote in her 48-page opinion.
She criticized the administration’s stance that undocumented immigrants are not entitled to due process protections under the Constitution. “Were that right, not only noncitizens, but everyone would be at risk,” she cautioned.
The case was brought by Make The Road New York, a migrant rights organization. Cobb, appointed by President Joe Biden, clarified that her ruling does not question the legality of expedited removals at the border, where they have traditionally applied, but rejects their sweeping nationwide use.
Trump, who is campaigning to return to the White House, has pledged to deport millions of undocumented migrants. However, his mass deportation plans have repeatedly faced legal setbacks, particularly over constitutional due process rights.
Cobb’s decision highlighted the Constitution’s safeguard: “No person shall be removed from the United States without opportunity, at some time, to be heard.”
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