Expedited Removal was created by the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (IIRIRA). It permits the government to remove arriving aliens from the US without allowing them to have a hearing before an Immigration Judge.

IIRIRA added section 235(b)(1) to the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) which permits immigration officers to expeditiously remove from the US persons who are found to be inadmissible because they lack an immigrant or a non-immigrant visa or because they have committed a material misrepresentation.


immigrationservice.jpgSome persons are exempted from Expedited Removal including lawful permanent residents, refugees and asylees. Also exempted are persons who have been lawfully admitted or paroled into the US, most minors, individuals re-entering the US on advance parole and persons who can demonstrate that they have been physically present in the US for a continuous period of 2 years or more.

In the past, undocumented immigrants encountered within 100 miles of the border with Mexico or Canada were subject to Expedited Removal unless they could demonstrate that they had been continuously present in the US for at least 14 days. However, on July 22, 2019, DHS announced that it would immediately expand expedited removal to apply to anyone in the U.S. who entered the country unlawfully and who is unable to prove that he/she has resided in the U.S. for 2 years or more.

An Expedited Removal Order cannot be appealed. It bars an individual from returning to the US for a minimum of 5 years absent the approval of an I-212 Application for Permission to Reapply for Admission. In the case of an Expedited Removal based on fraud or a material misrepresentation, there is lifetime bar to returning to the US absent a non-immigrant or an immigrant fraud waiver.

Regulations provide that if a person with an Expedited Removal Order expresses a fear of persecution if returned to his home country, he must be given a credible fear interview (CFI). Credible fear is defined as a “significant possibility” that he could establish that he is eligible for asylum, withholding of removal and/or the Convention Against Torture (CAT). If an Asylum Officer does not find a credible fear of persecution or torture, the individual can request review by an Immigration Judge of the negative decision. Generally, there is no review of the Immigration Judge’s determination that the individual does not have a credible fear of persecution or torture.


Expedited Removal – Additional Resources