Immigration Advocates Condemn Ruling Allowing Trump’s Fast-Track Deportations

NEW YORK, New York – Immigration advocates in New York have condemned a federal court’s ruling in allowing President Donald J. Trump’s “fast-track” deportation policy.

NYIC President and CEO, Murad Awawdeh.The United States D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the Trump administration in restoring its 2025 nationwide expedited removal policy.

The ruling allows immigration officials to “fast-track” the deportation of immigrants believed to be undocumented by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) inside the United States, bypassing a hearing before an immigration court, if they fail to demonstrate that they have continuously lived in the country for at least two years.

“Every immigrant in this country facing deportation is entitled to due process and a fair opportunity to make their case in front of a judge and be heard in court, yet [the court’s] ruling creates a two-tiered system of justice for immigrants simply because they have lived in the country for less than two years,” Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), an umbrella policy and advocacy organisation that represents over 200 immigrant and refugee rights groups throughout New York, told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) on Friday.

“By allowing the Trump administration to revive its nationwide expanded expedited removal policy, the court has opened the door for people who have established roots in this country to be deported without a fair opportunity at justice or little opportunity to seek legal protection,” he added. “Coupled with ICE’s tactics of racially-based arrests, this policy puts at risk anyone in the country who ICE suspects is an undocumented immigrant and who does not carry evidence of the length of residency.

“This policy moves us closer to a ‘show me your papers’ regime,” Awawdeh continued. “This policy prioritises deportation quotas over due process and places thousands of families under threat of family separation.”

He urged the US Congress to restore due process protections, strengthen safeguards against wrongful deportations and ensure every person facing removal has an opportunity to be heard.

Yaritza Mendez, deputy director of the immigration advocacy group Make the Road New York, told CMC that the appeals court’s ruling “is not the one we were hoping for, but it’s also not the end of the road.

“The Trump administration’s attempt to expand expedited removal is just one of the many attacks that immigrant communities face daily,” she said. “If allowed to move forward, it would severely undermine due process and lead to countless unjust or wrongful deportations, irreparably tearing apart families forever.

“Immigrant New Yorkers—and people around the country—are just trying to live their lives without fear,” Mendez added. “Our communities have shown remarkable resilience and bravery in the face of these threats, and we will continue to fight alongside them.”

Late last month, New Governor Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James sued the Trump administration to protect a new package of state laws establishing critical accountability measures concerning immigration and law enforcement operations in New York regarding immigrants.

James said that one of the laws prohibits local, state, and federal law enforcement officers from concealing their identity with masks, while interacting with the public and requires all officers to display clear identification.

The Local Cops, Local Crimes Act, another of the bills signed into law, ensures local law enforcement can remain focused on local community safety issues by prohibiting local governments and law enforcement agencies from entering into agreements to operate as immigration officers or to detain people solely for federal civil immigration violations, James said.

She said the law also prohibits the use of public subsidies for civil immigration detention facilities.

The New York Attorney General said that, after New York enacted this comprehensive package, the Trump administration vowed to attack the legislation, and, last week, notified the state it intended to sue imminently.

James said White House Border Czar Thomas Homan has also threatened a surge of federal immigration agents to punish New York for enacting the laws.

In response, Hochul requested that James ask the court to declare that the laws are legal and to prevent the Trump administration from interfering with New York’s authority to protect public safety, promote transparency, and govern the use of state and local resources.

“By hiding their faces and refusing to wear identification, federal immigration officers endanger New Yorkers and intentionally evade accountability,” said Attorney General James. “Our communities should not have to live in fear of being disappeared by unidentified masked agents.

“If the federal government wants to brazenly defy our laws, then we will fight tooth and nail in court to ensure transparency and keep all New Yorkers safe,” she added.

Hochul said: “A badge carries with it a responsibility to uphold the public’s trust.

“New Yorkers deserve to know who is enforcing the law in their communities and have the assurance that local resources are being deployed to protect public safety, not to intimidate or advance the agenda of a rogue federal agency,” she said. “These laws reflect New York’s values, and we’re not going to let anyone bully us into abandoning them.”

James said that masked federal immigration officers have flooded communities across the country as part of Trump’s mass deportation agenda.

“These officers have often failed to clearly identify themselves to the public while carrying out enforcement operations, sowing fear, undermining public trust, and increasing the risk that bad actors could impersonate law enforcement officers,” she said.

“Across the country, the use of masked and unidentified agents has made it harder for residents to know who is acting under color of law, report misconduct, and seek accountability when officers abuse their authority,” added James, stating that, in one high-profile operation on Canal Street in New York City, masked agents terrified residents and created chaos in the community.

The New York Attorney General said New York enacted these laws to address this growing threat and protect the rights of New Yorkers during federal immigration enforcement operations.

She said the new provisions prohibit law enforcement officers from wearing masks or other face coverings that “conceal, disguise, or obscure their identity” while interacting with the public, and require officers to “visibly display” their department and identifying information.

James noted that the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act, another measure in the package, prohibits local governments and law enforcement agencies from entering into 287(g) agreements or similar arrangements that use local resources to detain people for federal immigration violations.

“This provision ensures that New York’s local law enforcement resources are directed toward local public safety priorities, rather than the federal government’s mass deportation agenda,” she said.

Two days after this comprehensive legislation passed, James said the US Department of Homeland Security publicly declared that it would attack the law as illegal.

Last week, she said the administration notified New York that it intended to sue the state over the legislation and seek emergency relief before the law takes effect.

“New York has a sovereign right under the 10th Amendment to enact laws that protect public safety, promote transparency, and regulate conduct within its borders,” James said.

She and Hochul assert that the new laws establish basic public safety and transparency requirements for law enforcement officers operating in New York, and protect the state’s authority to decide how state and local resources are used.

They are asking the court to declare that the Trump administration’s efforts to prevent enforcement of the state’s new immigration protections violate the 10th Amendment.

James and Hochul are also asking the court to block the administration from taking any action to prevent enforcement of the laws.

Awawdeh commended James’s and Hochul’s action.

“There is no New York State without immigrant communities, and New York State took decisive steps to protect our communities from ICE terror and to defend our collective rights,” he said. “The new State laws are particularly vital at a time when the Trump administration is using violent and unlawful tactics in New York and across the country to create fear in our communities.

“The Tenth Amendment of the US Constitution guarantees New York State’s self-determination, which cannot be undermined by the Trump administration’s bullying tactics or threats,” Awawdeh added. “It is imperative that the US District Court for the Northern District of New York upholds the right of New York State to enact its own laws to govern New Yorkers, and sides with its lawful efforts to protect every single New Yorker who calls our state home.”

Natalia Aristizabal, co-executive director of Make the Road New York, also lauded James’s and Hochul’s action.

“Over the past year and a half, the Trump administration has done everything in their power to terrorise immigrant communities – racially discriminating people on their way to work, dragging people from their homes, and separating families. But New Yorkers did not back down,” she said. “Thanks to extensive efforts from immigrants, advocates, and allies, our state passed new immigration policies that reflect our values and places the well-being of our communities at the forefront.

“As the federal government threatens to strike down the laws that protect our public safety, and local resources, we must send a clear message: New Yorkers will not allow ICE to continue abusing their power and ripping our communities apart,” Aristizabal continued. ““We commend Attorney General James and Governor Hochul for already taking a strong stand to protect our immigrant communities by counter suing the Trump administration. As Make the Road, we will continue to organise in defence of our families and our communities.”