Administration's effort to broaden swift deportations by Trump administration temporarily halted by judge
In a significant ruling, U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb has blocked the Trump administration's policy of fast-track deportations targeting immigrants who entered the U.S. legally through humanitarian parole. This decision aims to alleviate fear among immigrants and their families who have been hesitant to attend routine immigration hearings due to the risk of arrest.
The policy, created under a 1996 law and widely used since 2004, allows for expedited removal of individuals stopped at the border. However, the Trump administration sought to expand these powers nationwide to anyone in the country less than two years, a move that was held up in court in 2019.
The latest efforts by the Trump administration to expand expedited removal powers amount to a second try. In January, President Donald Trump expanded fast-track authority, allowing immigration officers to deport someone without first seeing a judge. This policy, if implemented, could have potentially affected millions of people who came legally on humanitarian grounds since at least 1997.
Critics argue that this policy reclassified many legally protected migrants as "illegal," increasing undocumented populations despite their lawful entry and status under parole or Temporary Protected Status. The Trump administration sought to treat parolees as deportable under expedited removal if their parole was terminated. This interpretation is unprecedented, contrasting with prior usage that limited expedited removal to terminated parolees present less than one year.
Since May, the government has been renewing deportation proceedings for those arrested under ICE's fast-track authority. It's important to note that fast-track deportations can be put on hold by filing an asylum claim. However, people may be unaware of this right and can be swiftly removed if they fail an initial screening.
The ruling in San Diego could significantly slow down the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation efforts against parolees granted entry under the Biden administration’s programs. The Justice Department is expected to appeal this decision, and the case and related appeals remain active, so this area of immigration law and enforcement is in flux.
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- The ruling by Judge Jia Cobb in Seattle has halted the Trump administration's recent attempt to expand fast-track deportations, a policy that could have impacted millions of individuals who entered the U.S. legally on humanitarian grounds since 1997.
- The policy in question, influenced by a 1996 law and implemented since 2004, enables expedited removal of individuals at the border. However, the Trump administration intended to widen these powers nationwide, encompassing anyone in the country less than two years.
- Critics assert that the Trump administration's interpretation of the policy, which reclassified legally protected migrants as "illegal" and treated parolees as deportable under expedited removal if their parole was terminated, contradicts prior usage and could lead to an increase in undocumented populations.
