ACLU sues over Trump’s push to broaden expedited deportations

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sued Wednesday over President Trump’s expansion of a program that allows immigration officials to carry out swift deportations.

Trump’s Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday issued a rule enabling expedited removals to take place nationwide for migrants who cannot prove they have been in the country for two years. It’s a massive expansion, as under the Biden administration the program was limited to within 100 miles of international borders.

Expedited removals enable law enforcement to carry out deportations after a quick inspection, without conducting a full hearing, if a migrant does not present a valid asylum claim.

“The Administration’s decision to expand expedited removal to a vast group of noncitizens living anywhere in the United States disregards nearly three decades of experience showing that the expedited removal process, even when used at the border for new arrivals, is rife with errors and results in widespread violations of individuals’ legal rights,” the ACLU wrote in its complaint.

Filed in Washington's federal district court, the ACLU’s lawsuit claims Trump’s expansion runs afoul of federal immigration law and violates the constitutional due process rights of those subjected to the expedited proceedings.

The Biden administration relied heavily on expedited removals after ending Title 42, which allowed for migrants to be swiftly expelled, barring them from seeking asylum.

The ACLU is representing Make the Road New York, a progressive immigration nonprofit that says its members would be subject to Trump’s expansion.

“Everyone in this country is entitled to due process — it is one of the core tenets of our government,” Arlenis Morel, the group’s co-executive director, said in a statement.

“To fast track the deportation of people who have entered this country to find safety and build a life for themselves and their families, without even a chance to see a judge, will only sow fear in immigrant communities and increase the terror of being separated from loved ones forever,” Morel continued.

The Hill has reached out to the Justice Department for comment.

Wednesday’s lawsuit marked the ACLU’s second challenge to a major Trump administration action since he took office. The civil rights group is separately suing over Trump’s executive order restricting birthright citizenship.

Rebecca Beitsch contributed.

Topics

22 states sue Trump administration over birthright citizenship order

President Trump invoked presidential powers to begin his long-promised immigration crackdown shortly after taking office on Monday.
CBS News - 18h
U.S. expands expedited deportations beyond border areas as part of Trump crackdown

Expedited removal allows U.S. immigration officials to deport migrants who lack proper documents through a streamlined process that bypasses the lengthy and massively backlogged immigration court ...
CBS News - 1d
Democratic AGs sue Trump over birthright citizenship executive order

Twenty-two Democrat-led states and two cities challenged President Trump’s executive order restricting birthright citizenship, which on Tuesday kicked off the first legal battles between his new ...
The Hill - 1d
Eighteen Democratic-led states sue over Trump birthright citizenship order

Coalition of states and District of Columbia file lawsuit arguing president’s order is violation of US constitution. US politics live – latest updates What is US birthright citizenship and ...
The Guardian - 1d
ACLU sues over Trump order aimed at ending birthright citizenship

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) late Monday launched a suit challenging an executive order from President Trump seeking to end birthright citizenship for children born in the U.S. to ...
The Hill - 1d
‘We are ready’: the ACLU is prepared to fight Trump’s attacks on civil liberties

Organization faces arguably its biggest test with Trump’s return to power with deportation, free speech and immigration on the agenda. The American Civil Liberties Union, a leading defender of ...
The Guardian - 5d
Europe pushes back against Trump over Greenland military threat

European leaders expressed their confusion and pushed back Wednesday against President-elect Donald Trump's refusal to rule out using military force to take over Greenland.
NBC News - Jan. 8
Honduras threatens to expel US military over Trump deportation threat

Honduran President Xiomara Castro issued President-elect Trump a stark warning earlier this week over his vow to pursue mass deportations when he returns to the White House, threatening to bar U.S. ...
The Hill - Jan. 4
Honduran Leader Threatens to Push U.S. Military Out of Base if Trump Orders Mass Deportations

In pushing back against President-elect Donald J. Trump’s plan, President Xiomara Castro threatened that a base hosting U.S. troops could “lose all reason to exist in Honduras.”
The New York Times - Jan. 4