The Trump administration’s push to dramatically widen the reach of fast-track deportations has hit a judicial wall. A federal judge in Washington, D.C. has struck down the plan, calling it a constitutional breach that threatened to sweep up long-settled migrants with little to no chance of defending themselves.
At the center of the ruling is Judge Jia Cobb’s rejection of a January directive that sought to extend “expedited removal” beyond recent border crossers to nearly anyone unable to prove two years of residence in the U.S. For decades, the process had been used only for those caught near the border shortly after arrival. Expanding it nationwide, Cobb ruled, turned a limited enforcement tool into a dragnet.
“These individuals have a significant liberty interest in staying here,” Cobb wrote, warning that the government’s rush to speed up deportations “inevitably” risks ejecting people who have lawful grounds to remain. She condemned the administration’s reliance on what she described as a “skimpy” process that stripped away basic protections guaranteed under the Fifth Amendment.
The administration asked Cobb to hold off on enforcing her decision while an appeal moved forward. She flatly refused.
Homeland Security officials countered that the ruling undermines the president’s authority and weakens his vow to remove “the worst of the worst.” Still, Cobb’s order marks the second time in recent weeks she has derailed Trump’s fast-track deportation machinery, after earlier blocking an attempt to target migrants admitted under humanitarian parole programs.
For now, millions of immigrants who feared being funneled into a hasty deportation pipeline have gained breathing room. How long that reprieve lasts will depend on what happens in the next courtroom round.
