Trump expands fast-track deportations, targets Biden-era parole migrants

With an aim to accelerate deportations to unprecedented levels, the Trump administration has authorised federal immigration officers to evaluate whether migrants admitted through former President Joe Biden’s “parole” programs should lose their temporary legal status, according to a memo released Thursday.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security memo guides the use of a fast-track deportation process that the Trump administration reinstated earlier this week, suggesting officers focus on migrants who failed to request asylum within a one-year deadline after arriving in the U.S.

Previously, expedited removal under Biden was limited to individuals apprehended within 14 days of entry and 100 miles of the border. However, the Trump administration has expanded it nationwide to include anyone who entered within the last two years.

After returning to the White House on Monday, President Trump issued several executive orders targeting illegal immigration, setting the stage for the potential deportation of millions of undocumented immigrants.

The Republican president says the moves are necessary after millions of immigrants entered the U.S. under Biden, both crossing illegally and through Biden’s legal entry programs.

Some Democrats and advocates counter that Trump’s aggressive enforcement could target non-criminals, disrupt businesses and split apart families. Immigrant right group Make the Road New York sued on Wednesday to block Trump’s expansion of the fast-track deportation process.

With inputs from agencies