A federal judge has blocked Donald Trump’s attempt to expand expedited deportations nationwide, ruling that the move risks violating migrants’ constitutional rights to due process.
A US federal judge has blocked former President Donald Trump’s administration from greatly expanding the “expedited removal” process, dealing a setback to his mass deportation agenda. The procedure, which enables authorities to deport migrants without a court hearing, had traditionally applied to those detained within two weeks of entering the US near the Mexican border. Since January, however, Trump’s administration extended its use nationwide to include migrants present in the country for up to two years.
US District Judge Jia Cobb ruled against the expansion, warning it could result in individuals being “erroneously” deported without the chance to prove legal residence. “Unlike the group of people who have traditionally been subject to expedited removal… the group of people the Government is now subjecting to expedited removal have long since entered our country,” Cobb wrote. She added, “Were that right, not only noncitizens, but everyone would be at risk.”
The case was brought by Make The Road New York, a migrant rights group.