Appeals Court Allows Nationwide Expansion of Expedited Removal

On June 23, 2026, a divided three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit allowed the Trump administration to resume applying "expedited removal" - fast-track deportation without a hearing before an immigration judge - to undocumented migrants throughout the interior of the United States, not just near the border. The panel vacated an order by U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb that had blocked the expansion, which the administration adopted in January 2026.

Writing for the majority, Judge Justin Walker said migrants received notice and an opportunity to respond, satisfying due process, and that documented errors reflected individual officers' failures rather than defects in the written policy. Two of the three judges were appointed by Trump. The ACLU, which represented the plaintiffs, said the ruling "undermines the fundamental principle that people receive due process when the government seeks to deport them."

The ruling lets the administration expand expedited removal while litigation continues; further appeals are possible.