Immigration Lawyer Blog
On February 20, 2017, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary, John Kelly, issued two memoranda dramatically changing how DHS treats foreign nationals illegally in the United States. Touching on numerous immigration issues, the memoranda will make it easier for foreign nationals to be quickly removed from the United States without going through normal immigration court procedures. The memoranda will also dramatically increase the number of foreign nationals that DHS will target for deportation. Below are some of the ways that the memoranda will dramatically affect foreign nationals illegally living in the United States.
Increased Use of Expedited Removal
Pursuant to U.S.C. § 1225(b)(1), any foreign national who arrives at a United States port of entry and is inadmissible under 8 U.S.C.§ 1182 (a)(6)(C) (misrepresentations and false claims to U.S. citizenship) or 8 U.S.C. § 1182(a)(7) (lack of valid entry documents), is subject to expedited removal. Expedited removal is a procedure which allows a DHS official to remove a foreign national from the United States without a hearing before an immigration judge. Foreign nationals facing expedited removal, usually do not have access to an attorney, and are usually removed from the United States within days (or even sometimes hours) of their entry into the country.