A warehouse covering 826,780 square feet in Socorro, Texas, stands illuminated on February 12, 2026. It was recently acquired by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for $122.8 million. The warehouse is situated in the El Paso suburb and represents a significant investment by the government.
A federal appeals court authorized the Trump administration to resume rapid deportations throughout the United States, not limited to border areas. This decision marks a significant victory for the Republican administration. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, with a divided three-judge panel, overturned a lower court’s decision that had temporarily halted Trump’s broadened use of expedited removal.
Expedited removal allows for the swift deportation of undocumented migrants without a judicial hearing. This process applied to migrants arriving by sea or caught near the border shortly after entry. In January, Trump expanded its application to undocumented migrants across the United States. Immigration agents started removing migrants from courthouses and deporting them within days.
Anand Balakrishnan, senior staff attorney with the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project, commented on the decision. He argued that fast-track deportations lead to an unfair system prone to errors. Balakrishnan, who represented plaintiffs in front of the appellate panel, stated the ruling undermines the principle of due process during deportations.
The Trump administration’s push for fast-track deportations will subject people to an unfair and error-prone system.
DC Circuit Judge Justin R. Walker asserted that plaintiffs did not prove expedited removal violated due process rights. Immigrants received notice of removal proceedings and had opportunities to respond, he noted. Walker, alongside Judge Neomi Rao, were appointed by Trump. Judge Jia Cobb, appointed by President Joe Biden, had previously halted the expanded use of expedited removal, arguing inadequate procedures to prevent wrongful deportations.
Walker highlighted no constitutional requirement to inform immigrants about avoiding expedited removal if they reside in the U.S. for over two years. Walker and Rao overturned Judge Cobb’s order, asserting that errors stemmed from enforcement officers failing to follow legal protocols, not procedural defects.
The Trump administration maintains that expanded expedited removal includes measures to prevent arbitrary deportations. In October, Justice Department attorneys criticized Cobb’s decision as an ‘egregious error,’ depriving the administration of a vital tool to address the surge in illegal immigration efficiently.