Federal judge blocks Trump from swiftly deporting illegal migrants from the interior of the country
A federal judge on Friday temporarily halted a Trump administration policy that aimed to significantly broaden the use of expedited deportations for undocumented immigrants living throughout the United States.
District Judge Jia Cobb, appointed by President Joe Biden and based in Washington, D.C., ruled that the government’s plan to expand fast-track removals risked deporting individuals without proper legal process. “Prioritizing speed over all else will inevitably lead the Government to erroneously remove people,” she wrote in her 48-page opinion.
Traditionally, expedited removal has been used for migrants apprehended within 14 days of entering the U.S. and within 100 miles of the border. The Trump administration sought to apply the process nationwide to undocumented immigrants who had been in the country for less than two years—allowing deportations without a court hearing.
Judge Cobb emphasized that her ruling did not challenge the constitutionality of the expedited removal statute itself or its long-standing use at the border. Instead, she found fault with extending the process to a wider group of immigrants without providing sufficient procedural safeguards.
“In applying the statute to a huge group of people living in the interior of the country who have not previously been subject to expedited removal, the Government must afford them due process,” Cobb wrote. “The procedures currently in place fall short.”
The expansion of expedited removals had been a cornerstone of former President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement strategy. Though initially blocked in court, the policy was eventually implemented in October 2020 and led to the deportation of 17 individuals before the Biden administration reversed it, according to the Migration Policy Institute.
Judge Cobb argued that immigrants affected by the policy have a significant liberty interest and are entitled to due process protections under the Fifth Amendment. She criticized the administration for not adjusting its procedures when extending the policy to those living deeper inside the U.S., warning that the lack of safeguards could result in wrongful deportations.
Judge Cobb is also presiding over a separate lawsuit involving Trump and Federal Reserve Board Governor Lisa Cook, whom Trump has sought to remove over allegations of mortgage fraud.
In response to the ruling, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official criticized the decision, claiming it undermines the president’s authority under the Constitution and federal law.
“This activist judge’s ruling ignores the President’s clear authorities,” the DHS official told The New York Post. The official added that the administration is acting within its legal rights to enforce immigration law and that Trump has a mandate “to arrest and deport the worst of the worst.”
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