Social Issues

Trump administration moves to expedite deportations without court hearings

Los Angeles, US, Oct 21 (efe-epa).- The government of United States President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that it has implemented a policy to “expedite” the deportation of undocumented immigrants without court hearings.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said in a statement that as of Wednesday it “can now expedite the removal of certain aliens thanks to a recent order issued by the U.S. Court of Appeals.”

“The [Immigration and Nationality Act] permits the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to remove, without a hearing before an immigration judge, aliens encountered at a port of entry who are inadmissible to the United States under sections 212(a)(6)(C) or (a)(7) of the INA,” it said.

Previously, authorities could only use expedited deportation on immigrants detained within a 160-kilometer (100-mile) radius of the border who were not able to prove that they entered the country legally and had not been in the US for at least two weeks.

The measure targets foreigners who “have not been admitted or paroled into the United States” and who did not arrive by sea, and have not been physically in the country in the two years prior to their determination of inadmissibility.

In addition, it will affect those who have been in the country continuously for at least 14 days, but less than two years.

The new regulations do not affect foreigners who arrive at US ports of entry – mostly in search of asylum – who, according to the document, “are already subject to expedited removal.”

According to the norm, foreigners who are placed in an expedited deportation process and who express their intention to request asylum as well as a fear of being persecuted, tortured or returning to their country “will be interviewed by an asylum officer” who will determine whether the person has “a credible fear.”

Immigrants who are subject to possible expedited removal will be able to demonstrate that they have been in the country for more than two years with bank account documents, invoices, receipts, letters, school records or tax payments, among other things.

ICE dictated that all its agents and lawyers “must complete required web-based training before they can implement the July 2019 expedited removal designation.”

The new measure begins less than two weeks before the presidential election on Nov. 3, in which Trump faces Democratic candidate, Joe Biden. EFE-EPA

asl/tw

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