On August 29, 2025, U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb issued a ruling that halted policies from the Trump administration aimed at broadening the scope of expedited deportations. This decision came in response to a lawsuit from an immigrant rights group, which argued that the policies infringed upon the constitutional due process rights of migrants who could be apprehended anywhere in the United States.

The expedited removal process, which has been in place for nearly thirty years, was originally designed to quickly return migrants apprehended at the border. However, in January, the Trump administration expanded this process to include non-citizens apprehended throughout the country who could not demonstrate that they had been in the U.S. for at least two years. This expansion mirrored a previous policy from 2019 that was later rescinded by the Biden administration.

Judge Cobb noted that the new group of migrants targeted by this policy had already established a presence in the country, thus possessing a significant interest in remaining. She emphasized that the government failed to adapt its procedures to accommodate this larger population, which could lead to wrongful removals due to the prioritization of speed over due process. Cobb described the expedited process as inadequate, stating it violated the Fifth Amendment rights of the affected migrants.

The Biden administration had requested a pause on the ruling to prepare for an appeal, but Judge Cobb declined this request. A representative from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security criticized the ruling, asserting that it overlooked the legal authority granted to the Trump administration to enforce immigration laws, particularly against individuals deemed as serious threats.

Earlier in August, Judge Cobb also blocked efforts by the Trump administration to fast-track the deportation of numerous immigrants who had been paroled into the U.S. under humanitarian programs established by the Biden administration.