Appeals court upholds government’s expansion of expedited removal proceedings

The Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on Tuesday ruled that the White House followed the law when it expanded the use of expedited removal proceedings last year. On the first day of his second term, President Donald Trump told the federal government’s relevant agencies to utilize expedited removal proceedings, which allow the government to remove certain aliens from the country faster, in all cases where they legally could. That executive order was legally sound, the court of appeals said Tuesday.

How did this come before the appeals court? Just two days after Trump signed the executive order, immigration advocates sued, saying that maneuver violated federal law and contravened the government’s longstanding practice of only using expedited removal proceedings in a few, specific instances. In August, a federal judge placed Trump’s executive order on hold, finding that it was likely illegal. The federal government appealed to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, which heard arguments on the matter in December.

Dig deeper: Read my explainer about what rights immigrants have while facing deportation.