Treatment of Asylum Seekers in the Expedited Removal Process

Expedited Removal is the U.S. immigration law process that allows officers in the Department of Homeland Security, or DHS, to quickly deport noncitizens who arrive at U.S. ports of entry or cross the border without proper documents, unless the noncitizen can establish a “credible fear” of persecution or torture. Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. government has expelled most migrants and asylum seekers who try to enter the United States under a public health authority, referred to as Title 42, rather than under Expedited Removal. Beginning in mid-2021, the Biden administration resumed using Expedited Removal in some cases. It is planning to lift the Title 42 order soon and return to using Expedited Removal more broadly. 

Elizabeth Cassidy, USCIRF’s Director of Research and Policy, joins us today to discuss concerns and recommendations about the treatment of asylum seekers in the Expedited Removal process and its relevance to international religious freedom.