Migrant arrests near courthouses are increasing around the country as Homeland Security officials intensify efforts to fulfill the Trump administration’s deportation goals.
Immigration officials are increasingly stationed outside courthouses, waiting for migrants to appear for regular legal appointments in order to detain them after cases are dropped and expedite their departure.
El Paso residents have reported such occurrences, including the recent arrest of Yasmir Marquez, which was initially reported by
According to the publication, Marquez went to El Paso with a companion to attend an immigration court. He was granted leave to remain in the United States while awaiting an asylum hearing, as well as employment authorization. However, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities apprehended him shortly after he left the courthouse.
“They called him by the wrong name just now,” his friend told the outlet. “(Marquez) told them that isn’t his name, and they took him anyway.”
ICE authorities arrested Marquez on May 29 after providing him with a document indicating that his legal status had changed.
“Circumstances of the case have changed after the notice to appear was issued to such an extent that continuation is no longer in the best interest of the government. The notice to appear was improvidently issued,” the document read, according to a photo taken by Marquez’s friend.
The photo, shared with El Paso Matters, depicts a Department of Justice document issued by the Executive Office for Immigration Review, confirming that DHS launched removal procedures against Marquez on May 29, the same day as his hearing.
“All this is to accelerate detentions and expedite removals,” said immigration attorney Wilfredo Allen, who has represented migrants at Miami courts for decades.
Records indicate that the Otero County Processing Center in Chaparral, New Mexico is currently housing Marquez.
The Trump administration is increasing deportations under a policy known as accelerated removal, which permits immigration authorities to quickly remove individuals whose cases satisfy certain requirements. The technique avoids traditional immigration court hearings, which can take years due to a backlog of millions of pending cases.
Expedited removal was first confined to migrants arrested within 100 miles of the US border. However, the Trump administration has recently broadened its scope to include migrants who have been in the country for less than two years.
Furthermore, unauthorized individuals whose cases are no longer pending in immigration court may face accelerated removal. According to an internal letter acquired by The New York Times, ICE is pressing prosecutors to identify and dismiss cases that would allow for speedier deportations.
Following the memo’s release, the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) published a statement on May 21, condemning the Trump administration of undercutting fairness and due process.
“Immigration courts are being weaponized,” the group said. “Judges are coordinating with ICE to dismiss cases and immediately funnel individuals into the fast-track deportation pipeline known as expedited removal.”
