Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Monday 30 SepteMber 2019

Judge blocks extension of fast-track deportations nationwide

By ELLIOT SPAGAT tion judges — their backlog
Associated Press of cases recently topped 1
SAN DIEGO (AP) — A fed- million — while critics say it
eral judge has blocked grants too much power to
the Trump administration's Border Patrol agents and
move to vastly extend au- other immigration enforce-
thority of immigration of- ment officials and jeop-
ficers to deport people ardizes rights to fair treat-
without allowing them to ment.
appear before judges, the Keven McAleenan, the
third legal setback for its acting Homeland Security
immigration agenda in one secretary, said in July that
day. U.S. authorities don't have
The policy, which was an- space to detain "the vast
nounced in July but hasn't majority" of people arrest-
yet been enforced, would ed on the border, leading
allow fast-track deporta- to the release of hundreds
tions to apply to anyone in of thousands with notices
the country illegally for less to appear in court. He said
than two years. Now, they expanded authority would
are largely limited to peo- likely cause illegal entries to
ple arrested almost imme- decline and result in peo-
diately after crossing the ple getting more quickly
Mexican border. removed from the country
U.S. District Judge Ketanji In this July 8, 2019, file photo, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers detain a than in immigration courts,
Brown Jackson, ruling late man during an operation in Escondido, Calif. where cases can take
Friday in Washington, said Associated Press years to resolve.
the administration's expan- The Justice Department
sion of "expedited removal" at issue here, the potential children with their parents on flawed databases to said Saturday that the
authority violated proce- devastation is so obvious indefinitely, saying the target people for being in judge overstepped her
dural requirements to first that (the Department of move conflicted with a the country illegally. The authority and undermined
seek public comment and Homeland Security) can 1997 settlement agreement decision affects detainers laws enacted by Congress
ignored flaws in how it has be fairly faulted for its unex- that requires the release issued by an ICE officer in with careful consideration
been used on a smaller plained failure to predict, of children caught on the the federal court system's by the administration on
scale at the border. The and attempt to mitigate, border as quickly as pos- Central District of Califor- how to enforce them. The
shortcomings, which were the fully foreseeable future sible to relatives in the U.S. nia. White House echoed that
not challenged by gov- floods," Jackson wrote. and says they can only be The fast-track deportation view in a statement and
ernment lawyers, include Jackson, an appointee of held in facilities licensed by powers were created un- added that the administra-
allegations that some President Barack Obama, a state. The Flores agree- der a 1996 law but didn't tion has been trying since
people entitled to be in hasn't ruled on merits of ment — named for a teen- become a major piece of its inception to enforce
the country were targeted the case, but her decision age plaintiff — will remain border enforcement until immigration laws and that
for deportation, translators prevents the administration in place and govern condi- 2004, when Homeland Se- "misguided lower court
weren't provided, and au- from expanding fast-track tions for children in custody, curity said it would be en- decisions have been pre-
thorities made "egregious authority nationwide while including those with their forced for people who are venting those laws from
errors" recording state- the lawsuit proceeds. parents. arrested within two weeks ever being enforced_at
ments of migrants who said Earlier Friday, a feder- Also Friday, another fed- of entering the U.S. by land immense cost to the whole
they feared persecution or al judge in Los Angeles eral judge in Los Angeles and caught within 100 country."
torture if sent back to their blocked new rules that blocked U.S. Immigration miles (160 kilometers) of the The potential impact of ex-
homelands. would allow the govern- and Customs Enforce- border. Defenders say it re- panding fast-track powers
"With respect to the policy ment to detain immigrant ment from relying solely lieves burdens on immigra- is difficult to predict. q