A significant legal setback has emerged for the Trump administration’s immigration policies, as a US federal judge has blocked the expansion of expedited deportation procedures for undocumented immigrants. This decision presents a substantial obstacle to the former president’s mass deportation plans, underscoring the critical importance of judicial process in immigration cases. The judge’s ruling specifically targeted the administration’s attempt to broaden the scope of expedited deportations, a process previously limited to migrants apprehended near the Mexican border within the prior two weeks. The expanded policy, initiated in January, applied the expedited process across the country and included migrants who had resided in the US for up to two years. US District Judge Zia Cobb deemed this expansion unlawful, citing the potential for erroneous deportations of individuals without the full benefit of legal proceedings. The court emphasized the Fifth Amendment’s due process protections, highlighting the potential vulnerability of all individuals if such protections were diminished.
