Background on ICE and Its Recent Actions
The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has detained immigrants at courthouses in New York, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and Seattle this week, according to families, lawyers, and news reports. These detentions appear to target individuals who have been in the country for less than two years, as claimed by their advocates.
ICE’s New Strategy for Accelerated Deportations
Federal immigration officers detained dozens of immigrants immediately following their immigration court hearings in multiple U.S. cities this week, according to families and lawyers. In some cases, immigration judges had just dismissed active cases against the migrants, according to family members and attorneys. This could eventually allow U.S. authorities to place them in a rapid deportation process known as expedited removal.
Context: Trump’s Goal and Existing Challenges
President Donald Trump aims to deport a record number of undocumented immigrants in the U.S., but he has complained that U.S. courts and existing laws have slowed down the effort.
ICE issued guidelines earlier this year directing agents to consider all previously released immigrants for expedited removal if they have not affirmatively sought asylum.
Impact on Individuals and Families
This operation highlights a new strategy to accelerate deportations and bypass lengthy immigration proceedings.
A high-ranking official from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security stated that the goal was to deport immigrants allowed entry into the U.S. during former President Joe Biden’s (Democrat) administration.
“ICE is now enforcing the law and placing these illegal aliens in expedited removal, as it always should have been,” the official said in a statement.
Case Study: Geovanni Francisco and His Mother
In Phoenix, Arizona, ICE detained several individuals at the immigration court’s entrance on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Among them were Geovanni Francisco and his mother from Guerrero, Mexico, who entered the country legally in 2023 after scheduling an appointment using the CBP One app from the Biden era, according to his aunt Hilda Ramírez. Their case was dismissed on Wednesday morning, according to records.
“They didn’t even give them a chance to gather their belongings,” Ramírez said, who accompanied her sister and nephew to their hearing.
Key Questions and Answers
- What is expedited removal? Expedited removal is a rapid deportation process for inadmissible or deportable immigrants who have not been in the U.S. for more than 14 days and do not claim asylum.
- Who is ICE? The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is a federal law enforcement agency responsible for identifying, apprehending, and removing undocumented immigrants from the United States.
- Why are immigrants being detained at courthouses? ICE is targeting individuals who have been in the U.S. for less than two years, aiming to place them in expedited removal processes and bypass lengthy immigration proceedings.
- What are the implications for families and communities? These actions can cause fear, disrupt families, and create uncertainty for immigrants who may face rapid deportation without proper legal representation or due process.
