OAN Staff Blake Wolf
5:37 PM – Friday, May 23, 2025
U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents carrying out President Donald Trump’s deportation agenda have begun utilizing a new tactic—detaining illegal aliens as they leave mandatory court appearances, aided by the termination of certain cases.
ICE officers have begun arresting illegal immigrants outside of their immigration and asylum hearings, first targeting individuals who have been living in the United States illegally for less than two years.
ICE prosecutors request immigration judges to terminate cases in order for ICE officers to arrest the individuals, while qualifying them to be placed on a fast-track deportation program—known as “expedited removal,” speeding up the entire process.
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Illegal immigrants—previously permitted entry under the Biden administration—often attend mandatory court hearings anticipating a routine check-in, only to now be unexpectedly detained by ICE officers upon departure.
Prior to Trump taking office, the expedited removal process for illegal aliens was only utilized for individuals within 100 miles of the international border, and for those who had been residing in the United States illegally for less than two weeks.
Non-citizens who entered the country through the asylum process under former Democrat President Joe Biden are also eligible for expedited removal—placing nearly 1 million migrants eligible for deportation.
“ICE is now following the law and placing these illegal aliens in expedited removal, as they always should have been,” stated Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin.
The most recent ICE operation details seemingly indicate that the Trump administration is now looking to deport illegals who have not committed violent crimes, after prioritizing those with lengthy criminal records and gang affiliation.
In one instance in Phoenix, Arizona, ICE agents arrested over a dozen individuals outside of immigration court hearings over a two day period, after federal lawyers were told to drop the immigration cases.
“It used to be getting your case dismissed was a celebration,” stated Phoenix immigration attorney Nera Shefer. “Not anymore. The government is given the opportunity to reprocess you under the new rules. That’s what it means.”
President Donald Trump has consistently announced the need for an expedited process.
“We cannot give everyone a trial, because to do so would take, without exaggeration, 200 years,” he wrote in an April 21st Truth Social post. “We would need hundreds of thousands of trials for the hundreds of thousands of illegals we are sending out of the country. Such a thing is not possible to do. What a ridiculous situation we are in.”
ICE arrests outside of immigration courts have been reported in several cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Seattle, Las Vegas, and Miami. More are expected to come.
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