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A2 US NEWS
Tuesday 23 July 2019

Trump expands fast-track deportation authority across U.S.

By ELLIOT SPAGAT secretary, portrayed the
Associated Press nationwide extension of
SAN DIEGO (AP) — The “expedited removal” au-
Trump administration an- thority as another Trump
nounced Monday that it administration effort to ad-
will vastly extend the au- dress an “ongoing crisis on
thority of immigration of- the southern border” by
ficers to deport migrants freeing up beds in deten-
without allowing them to tion facilities and reducing
appear before judges, its a backlog of more than
second major policy shift 900,000 cases in immigra-
on immigration in eight tion courts.
days. U.S. authorities do not have
Starting Tuesday, fast-track space to detain “the vast
deportations can apply to majority” of people ar-
anyone in the country ille- rested on the Mexican bor-
gally for less than two years. der, leading to the release
Previously, those deporta- of hundreds of thousands
tions were largely limited with notices to appear in
to people arrested almost court, McAleenan said in
immediately after crossing the policy directive to be
the Mexican border. published Tuesday in the
Kevin McAleenan, the act- Federal Register.
ing Homeland Security He said Homeland Security In this July 8, 2019 file photo, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers detain a
man during an operation in Escondido, Calif.
Associated Press
officials with the new de- broad authority to deport Critics said the new mea-
portation power will deport people without allowing sure’s impact could be
migrants in the country ille- them to appear before an more far-reaching be-
gally more quickly than the immigration judge with lim- cause many in the U.S for
Justice Department’s immi- ited exceptions, including if longer than two years may
gration courts, where cases they express fear of return- be unable to prove they
can take years to resolve. ing home and pass an ini- have been in the country
The agency “expects that tial screening interview for for so long.
the full use of expedited asylum. “Expanding the fast-track
removal statutory author- The powers were created procedure to apply any-
ity will strengthen nation- under a 1996 law but went where in the U.S. is a recipe
al security, diminish the largely unnoticed until for ripping thousands more
number of illegal entries, 2004, when Homeland Se- families apart and devas-
and otherwise ensure the curity said it would be en- tating communities,” said
prompt removal of aliens forced for people who are Grace Meng, Human Rights
apprehended in the United arrested within two weeks Watch’s U.S. program act-
States,” McAleenan said. of entering the U.S. by land ing deputy director.
The American Civil Liber- and caught within 100 “This is a massive and dan-
ties Union and American miles (160 kilometers) of the gerous change.”
Immigration Council said border. The administration said
they would sue to block the The potential impact of the the expanded author-
policy. new measure is difficult to ity will likely mean less time
“Under this unlawful plan, predict. for migrants in detention
immigrants who have lived McAleenan said 20,570 while cases wind their way
here for years would be people arrested in the na- through immigration court.
deported with less due tion’s interior from October The average stay in immi-
process than people get 2017 through September gration detention for peo-
in traffic court,” said Omar 2018 year had been in the ple in fast-track removal
Jawdat, director of the U.S. less than two years, was 11.4 days from Octo-
ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights which would make them ber 2017 through Septem-
Project. eligible for fast-track de- ber 2018, compared to 51.5
“Expedited removal” gives portation under the new days for people arrested in
enforcement agencies rule. the nation’s interior.q