AILA: DHS Attempts Massive Expansion of Unilateral Deportation Power
| CONTACTS: | |
|---|---|
| George Tzamaras 202-507-7649 gtzamaras@aila.org |
Belle Woods 202-507-7675 bwoods@aila.org |
WASHINGTON, DC — Today, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a new policy designed to dramatically expand expedited removal to apply throughout the United States to anyone who has been in the U.S. for less than two years. The policy will take effect on July 23, 2019, before the public has the opportunity to comment.
Jennifer Minear, President-Elect of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) decried the announcement, saying, "Expedited removal gives near-total authority to immigration officers to apprehend, cast judgment upon, and remove someone from this country. Now DHS seeks to apply that power nationwide, subjecting thousands of people to deportation without a meaningful chance to collect evidence, consult with an attorney, or come before a judge. Under the new rule, people will be denied a fair day in court even if they might qualify for legal relief. The administration's answer to the humanitarian situation at our southern border should be to improve the immigration court system; instead DHS is eliminating the judges from the process altogether. That is not the kind of due process envisioned in the Constitution. But we will fight and our close allies at the American Immigration Council are already planning to file a lawsuit challenging this unjustifiable expansion of power."