More on expedited removals

Today’s Wall Street Journal has a story that outlines the U.S. government’s recent decision to expand the implementation of expedited removal.  The article explains the policy of expedited removal, under which noncitizens are detained and physically returned to their country immediately rather than served with a notice to appear at a later hearing.  This has long been the policy with Mexican migrants, but is now being applied to noncitizens from other countries like Guatemala and Brazil.

In theory, people have a chance to present their case to an immigration judge if they have a credible fear of persecution or torture.  But in the story, Jeanne Butterfield of AILA and Eleanor Acer of Human Rights First voice their concerns that the policy does not offer sufficient means for the claims of valid asylum seekers to be heard.

The WSJ story also chronicals the journey of one Guatemalan woman who was removed via expedited removal proceedings (but who plans to try again).  Her story makes plain some of the push and pull factors that prompt multiple attempts at entry.  These include not only high poverty rates at home, but also the work opportunities in the U.S, and the fact that most people who attempt to cross into the U.S. do  make it eventually.

The full Journal story is here.

-jmc