Trump expands rapid deportations across the United States

The Trump administration on Tuesday expanded the powers that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have to quickly expel certain undocumented immigrants from the United States, a move that could help President Trump carry out the deportation campaign at large scale he promised.

The new policy, detailed in a notice posted online, allows the Department of Homeland Security to more quickly deport certain undocumented immigrants who, upon arrest, cannot prove they have been in the country for more than two years. Such broad powers — a process known as expedited deportation, which allows illegal immigrants to be expelled without court proceedings — have long been reserved primarily for the area near the southern border.

But the policy issued by Acting Homeland Security Secretary Benjamine C. Huffman allows ICE agents to use it throughout the United States.

“The effect of this change will be to improve national security and public safety – while reducing government costs – by facilitating timely immigration decisions,” the notice states.

Mr. Trump’s first administration attempted to implement a similarly rapid deportation process nationwide, but those efforts were challenged in federal court. The ensuing legal battle kept the rule from taking effect until late 2020, when a federal appeals court allowed the Department of Homeland Security to make expanded expedited removals while the lawsuit continued. The Biden administration reversed this policy.

Like some of Mr. Trump’s early actions on immigration, the rule could face another legal challenge.