U.S. Court Upholds Ruling Against Expanding Deportation Policy

By Brian Freeman | Monday, 24 November 2025 12:09 PM EST

A federal appeals court has upheld a lower court ruling that forbids the Trump administration from expanding the use of expedited removals to deport undocumented migrants without a court hearing. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, in a 2-1 decision, declined to lift an August ruling that barred the administration from implementing the policy as the legal battle is waged.

Previously, rapid deportation was carried out only for recent arrivals encountered close to the border, but the Trump administration earlier this year attempted to broaden the use of quick removals to those who crossed the border in the last two years, regardless of where they were found in the United States. The two judges in the majority, both appointees of Democrat presidents, wrote that the policy carries “serious risks of erroneous summary removal” by swiftly deporting people with little process for them to challenge. The judges also criticized the administration for using a process that fails to inform migrants, the majority of whom have been in the country for more than two years, that their longevity in the U.S. could exclude them from the expedited process.

The judge in the minority, a Trump appointee, dissented and called the ruling “impermissible judicial interference.” Additional arguments on the merits of the case are scheduled for next month. Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.

Politics