A federal appeals court on Saturday rejected a bid to allow the U.S. government to resume rapid deportations of undocumented immigrants, upholding a lower court ruling that had blocked the Trump administration's policies.
The District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals voted 2-1 against the government's motion for a stay, which would have enabled it to continue expedited deportations while appealing the initial court's decision.
In its order, the court concluded that it is unlikely the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will succeed in demonstrating that its system for determining the eligibility of undocumented migrants for fast-track deportation is constitutionally sound.
«Nothing in the record shows that detained individuals are given the opportunity to dispute their legal eligibility for Expedited Removal or to present evidence to immigration officers of their continuous two-year presence in the United States before deportation,» the document stated.
The ruling aligned with the stance of D.C. District Judge Jia Cobb, who last August criticized President Donald Trump's rapid deportations, arguing that they «prioritize speed» and «will inevitably lead the government to erroneously deport people through this truncated process».
The judge had temporarily halted such deportations for violating due process, applying the statute to a vast group of people who had not previously been subject to expedited removal.
In January, Trump reinstated the «expulsion» of immigrants, a policy he had also used during his first term (2017-2021), which allows for the rapid deportation of undocumented individuals who cannot prove they have been continuously in the country for two years or more without a hearing.
