The new strategy will allow border patrol agents to deport immigrants from any part of the country in an attempt to ease the nation’s immigration-courts from thousands of asylum applications and to help reduce overcrowding in detention facilities. This policy will specifically target those people who have entered the country illegally within the past two years and who do not have an asylum date or immigration court date.

 

            The Trump Administration had enacted a similar policy for rapid deportation of immigrants. This policy was limited to migrants caught within 100 miles from the U.S. border and who had been less than two weeks in the country. However, the new expansion of powers allows for immigration agents to detain immigrants from any part of the country and who have resided here for less than two years.

 

            This new policy is a response to Trump’s ongoing efforts to crackdown on immigration from Central America, despite a decrease in the number of apprehensions recorded for the moth of July compared with June. In recent days, he has promised to deport millions of immigrants residing in the U.S. With this new expansion of power, it is estimated that 300,000 immigrants of the 11 million living in the U.S., are at risk of rapid deportation, according to the Migration Policy of Institute.

 

            Immigration experts have highlighted the significant implications that the expansion of powers has on those seeking asylum because U.S. agents are given the power to deport immigrants without a proper deportation process. This means that immigrants will be deported without before seeing a judge or speaking to a lawyer. As a result, U.S. agents will be given the power to act as both, a prosecutor and a judge.

 

            When Trump took over the presidency, he attempted to expand rapid deportations during a time when immigration courts had about 600,000 cases pending. However, this policy was never enacted and illegal border crossings decreased in the following months that Trump took office. Though, last year has experienced an significant increased in the number of migration into the U.S., especially from Central American countries. As of right now, it is estimated that immigration courts are pending more than 900,000 cases and more than 50,000 migrants are being held daily by ICE.

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Joshua Ojeda Sanchez