Federal Judge Blocks Trump Administration’s Push to Expand Fast-Track Deportations

U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb on Friday halted the Trump administration’s efforts to expand fast-track deportations, ruling that the policies violate the constitutional due process rights of migrants apprehended anywhere in the United State. Douglas Rissing Getty Images

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Washington, D.C. – U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb on Friday halted the Trump administration’s efforts to expand fast-track deportations, ruling that the policies violate the constitutional due process rights of migrants apprehended anywhere in the United States. The decision blocks two January directives that exposed millions of undocumented immigrants to rapid expulsion, dealing a significant setback to President Trump’s mass deportation agenda.

Judge Cobb, a Biden appointee, criticized the administration’s expedited removal process as “skimpy,” arguing that prioritizing speed over fairness risks wrongfully deporting individuals who may have a legal right to remain in the U.S. She emphasized that migrants who have lived in the country for extended periods “have a weighty liberty interest in remaining here and therefore must be afforded due process under the Fifth Amendment.” The ruling indefinitely pauses the expanded policy, which allowed immigration officials to deport non-citizens unable to prove two years of U.S. residency without a hearing, unless they claim asylum and pass an initial screening.

The Trump administration’s policy, enacted shortly after President Trump’s second term began, extended expedited removal—previously limited to migrants apprehended within 100 miles of the border and present for less than two weeks—to apply nationwide. This mirrored a 2019 attempt by Trump that was later rescinded under President Biden. Cobb rejected the administration’s claim that undocumented immigrants have no due process rights beyond what Congress provides, calling it a “startling argument” that could endanger everyone if applied broadly. “The Government could accuse you of entering unlawfully, relegate you to a bare-bones proceeding, and then immediately remove you,” she wrote in her 48-page opinion.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) responded sharply, with spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin denouncing the ruling as “lawless” and asserting it ignores Trump’s legal authority and a Supreme Court precedent upholding expedited removals. DHS vowed to continue pursuing deportations, stating, “President Trump has a mandate to arrest and deport the worst of the worst.” The administration had requested a pause on the ruling to prepare an appeal, but Cobb declined.

The lawsuit was brought by Make the Road New York, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, which argued that the policy’s aggressive use, including arrests at immigration courts, violates constitutional protections. The ruling follows Cobb’s earlier decision this month to block fast-track deportations of immigrants legally paroled into the U.S., signaling ongoing judicial resistance to the administration’s deportation strategies. Legal experts suggest the decision could delay Trump’s goal of 1 million annual deportations, though DHS is likely to appeal to higher courts.