By expanding use of the “expedited removal” law from within 100 miles of a border to the entire country, Trump officials will try to remove more than 1 million migrants admitted to the United States during the Biden administration.
By Nick Miroff and Maria Sacchetti, Washington Post
The Trump administration has directed federal officers to identify immigrants who can be rapidly removed from the United States without a court hearing as part of its quest to boost deportations, according to an internal memorandum viewed by The Washington Post.
The memo circulated at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Feb. 18 details the agency’s latest strategy to accelerate removals and identifies their potential targets. More than 1 million migrants who wereadmitted to the United States through an array of initiatives during President Joe Biden’s administrationcould be flagged for “expedited removal” proceedings, though officials have instructed immigration officers to pore over the nearly 8 million deportation cases on their dockets to find more.
Migrants could be speedily deported if they crossed the border illegally, were waved into the country on parole or with a notice to report to immigration authorities, and have not applied for asylum, the memo said. Immigrants who arrived legally through a port of entry also may be targeted if they lacked immigration documents or misrepresented themselves, the memo said.
Lawyers said this group could include Nicaraguans, Venezuelans and others who entered legally through a Biden parole program, which President Donald Trump terminated, if they lack any other immigration status. Migrants who booked appointments through a U.S. Customs and Border Protection app to enter through a border checkpoint also could be swept out of the country.
“This is allowing ICE to go after a lot of people that are here, that have been here for a long time,” said Paul Hunker, former ICE chief counsel in Dallas, who said the fast-track deportation process historically has been meant for newer arrivals, not people who have deep roots in their communities.
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