Appeals Court Says Federal Government Can Fast-Track Deportations

The Department of Homeland Security acted properly when it quickened deportations ‘to the maximum extent allowed by law,’ a majority said.

A person is detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents near a hardware store in New Orleans on Dec. 3, 2025. Adam Gray/AFP via Getty Images

President Donald Trump’s administration can fast-track deportations across the nation, a split federal appeals court panel ruled on June 23.

The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) January 2025 order that authorized sped-up removal for many illegal immigrants fell within the authority granted to immigration officials by Congress, a majority of a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit concluded.