A large 826,780-square-foot warehouse is now owned by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Located in the El Paso suburb of Socorro, Texas, this facility was purchased for $122.8 million.
On Tuesday, a federal appeals court permitted the Trump administration to continue fast-track deportations across the United States. This decision comes from a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The panel overturned a previous ruling that had temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s expansion of expedited removals.
This ruling marks significant progress for the administration. Expedited removal allows for quick deportation without a court appearance. It was originally used for migrants arriving by sea or near the border shortly after crossing. Starting in January, Trump extended this practice to all undocumented migrants within the U.S. Immigration agents quickly began deporting migrants from courthouses after brief proceedings.
Anand Balakrishnan of the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project expressed concern. He said the fast-track process could lead to an unfair system that lacks due process. Balakrishnan represented plaintiffs who argued before the appellate panel, claiming the ruling compromises due process for those being deported.
Judge Justin R. Walker, part of the appeals panel, disagreed. He wrote that immigrants were informed of deportation proceedings and had a chance to respond. Walker, along with Judge Neomi Rao, both appointed by Trump, upheld the ruling. The third judge, appointed by President Barack Obama, dissented.
Walker noted no requirement existed to inform immigrants about avoiding expedited removal by proving a two-year residency in the U.S. He stressed the legal requirement is notification of actions and grounds, plus a response opportunity, without providing legal advice.
The panel’s decision vacated U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb’s order that had paused the expanded use of expedited removals. Cobb, appointed by President Joe Biden, argued the administration lacked reliable procedures to ensure accuracy in deportations. She noted a high error risk with the broader application of expedited removals.
In his opinion, Walker acknowledged errors but attributed them to officers not following the law. He argued these issues were not due to flaws in the directives or procedures themselves. The Trump administration maintained that their expansion of expedited removals included safeguards against wrongful deportation.
In October, Justice Department attorneys described Cobb’s ruling as significantly flawed. They argued that her order deprived the administration of a critical tool to address illegal immigration efficiently.
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