Judge halts Trump's fast-track deportation expansion for parolees
3 Min Read
A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to expand fast-track deportations to immigrants who entered legally under humanitarian parole.
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Federal agents escort a man to a transport bus after he was detained following an appearance at immigration court, Tuesday, July 22, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
A federal judge in Washington, DC, has issued a temporary injunction halting the Trump administration’s latest efforts to broaden the scope of expedited deportations, a move that could impact hundreds of thousands of immigrants who legally entered the US under humanitarian parole.
In an 84-page decision issued Friday, US District Judge Jia Cobb ruled that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had acted beyond the limits of its legal authority by applying fast-track removal procedures to individuals who had complied with entry regulations through parole.
"The case presents a question of fair play," Judge Cobb wrote. "In a world of bad options, they played by the rules. Now, the Government has not only closed off those pathways for new arrivals but changed the game for parolees already here, restricting their ability to seek immigration relief and subjecting them to summary removal despite statutory law prohibiting the Executive Branch from doing so."
Expedited removal procedures allow federal immigration agents to deport individuals without a hearing before a judge. Parole, by contrast, grants certain applicants temporary entry into the country without being detained, typically on humanitarian grounds.
Parolee Protections Upheld
The ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed by immigrant advocacy organizations against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The plaintiffs challenged three DHS actions they say unlawfully expanded the use of expedited removal, especially amid a rise in immigration-related arrests.
The court’s decision freezes those DHS actions for now, protecting all non-citizens who entered the country via parole at official entry points. Judge Cobb noted that the core issue is whether those fleeing persecution will be allowed to present their cases under a structured legal system.
"Or, alternatively, will they be summarily removed from a country that, as they are swept up at checkpoints and outside courtrooms, often by plainclothes officers without explanation or charges, may look to them more and more like the countries from which they tried to escape?" she wrote.
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Esther Sung, legal director of the Justice Action Center and one of the attorneys for the plaintiffs, called the ruling "a huge win" for immigrant communities.
"Hopefully this decision will alleviate that fear," Sung said, referring to the widespread anxiety among parolees who avoid routine immigration check-ins out of concern they might be detained.
Fast-Track Deportation Revival
Since May, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents had begun making arrests in courthouse hallways after judges closed deportation cases. DHS would then reinitiate proceedings under fast-track authority.
US President Trump moved to expand that authority in January, authorizing officers to deport individuals without judicial review. While asylum seekers can theoretically delay removal by making a claim, many may not know their rights, and if they fail an initial screening, removal can happen swiftly.
Though expedited removal has existed since 1996 and has primarily been used at the border since 2004, the Trump administration previously attempted to apply it more broadly in 2019. That effort was blocked in court. The current policy represents a renewed attempt at the same goal.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs say that ICE at first applied the expanded authority cautiously, but has since ramped up enforcement, including raids at job sites and court facilities.
