An internal ICE memo says some deportees may be removed within six hours of notice, without guarantees their lives won’t be at risk
The US could begin deporting migrants to third countries “immediately” without confirming whether the destination is safe for them, the Washington Post reported on Saturday, citing an internal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) memo.
US President Donald Trump has made immigration a core issue of his policy since returning to office, accusing his predecessor Joe Biden of enabling mass illegal immigration.
According to the document seen by the outlet, a recent Supreme Court decision is being interpreted as allowing deportations even if the destination country hasn’t offered “diplomatic assurances” against torture or persecution.
In standard cases, migrants will receive 24 hours’ notice before being deported and ICE officers won’t ask deportees their view on where they’re being sent. If a migrant claims to fear the destination, a screening will be carried out, which could allow a person to access legal counsel and provide a ten-day challenge window. However, if the screening concludes that there are no grounds to challenge the deportation in court, the migrant may then be deported elsewhere.
“In exigent circumstances,” however, deportations reportedly could occur just six hours after a notice is given. The memo did not clarify what qualifies as exigent. Moreover, if the State Department considers a country’s safety assurances credible, migrants can be deported there with no prior notice or chance to appeal, the memo stated.
Immigration attorneys criticized the policy as rushed and dangerous.
“It puts thousands of lives at risk of persecution and torture,” Trina Realmuto, head of the National Immigration Litigation Alliance, told the outlet. Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, who won a case reversing the deportation of a Salvadoran man earlier this year, said the procedures outlined in the memo are “clearly inadequate” to prevent unlawful removals.
Neither ICE nor the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) responded to requests from the Washington Post for comment.
In February, on Trump’s orders, DHS expanded fast-track deportations to third countries. That sparked a class-action lawsuit, and in April, a federal judge ruled the policy unconstitutional. However, last month, the Supreme Court lifted that ruling, allowing deportations to continue.
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Trump’s policies have sparked nationwide protests and violent riots in Los Angeles, prompting him to deploy National Guard troops to the city. Despite the protests, earlier this month Trump signed a bill allocating $100 billion to ICE for detentions, deportations, as well as for finishing the Mexico border wall.
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