A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has struck down a Trump administration effort to broaden the scope of fast-track deportations, ruling that the policy violated the constitutional rights of migrants. U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb halted two measures introduced in January that allowed immigration authorities to expel non-citizens apprehended anywhere in the country if they could not prove they had resided in the United States for at least two years.
For nearly three decades, expedited removal has been used primarily to return migrants caught at or near the U.S.-Mexico border. However, the Trump administration extended its reach nationwide, a move Cobb said fundamentally changed the class of people affected. Unlike recent border crossers, many of the targeted migrants had been living in the country for longer periods, and therefore had stronger legal rights to due process.
In her ruling, Cobb criticized the administration for prioritizing “speed over all else,” warning that the streamlined process risked erroneously deporting individuals who should have the opportunity to present their cases. She described the procedures as “skimpy” and inadequate under the Fifth Amendment, stressing that the government had failed to adapt its safeguards to the expanded group of migrants it sought to remove.
The Department of Homeland Security defended Trump’s actions, arguing that the president has broad legal authority to enforce immigration laws and a mandate to deport what it called “the worst of the worst.” The administration had asked Cobb to delay her ruling to allow time for an appeal, but she denied the request, meaning the policies remain blocked.
The case was brought by immigrant rights group Make the Road New York, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, which argued that the expansion exposed millions of people to arbitrary deportation. Earlier in August, Judge Cobb also halted another Trump policy aimed at expediting the removal of immigrants paroled into the country under Biden-era humanitarian programs. Together, the rulings mark significant setbacks to Trump’s aggressive immigration agenda.
