The International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) provides free legal help to some refugees and displaced people.
- IRAP helps some people find services and prepare refugee and visa applications.
- IRAP is not part of any government, IOM, or UNHCR.
- IRAP cannot grant refugee status or visas or speed up cases.
- IRAP cannot provide financial help, find or pay for housing, or find jobs.
- All of IRAP’s help is free. No one affiliated with IRAP has the right to ask you for money or any other service.
IRAP decides to help people based on their need and eligibility for immigration status. IRAP does not decide to help people based on any other social or political or religious criteria.
This website provides general information about legal processes available to some refugees. It is not meant as legal advice for individual applications.
Requirements may change. Always check for current requirements from the government or agency deciding your request.
If you are a refugee in an emergency, we recommend that you contact the UNHCR office in the country where you live.
NOTE: This information is from JUNE 7, 2024. We try to update it when there are important changes but it could have changed because U.S. immigration laws change quickly. This information is educational and is not legal advice.
Who is this information for?
This information is for people who want to enter the United States at the border with Mexico. Generally, it is for adults traveling alone and families traveling together. Different rules apply to children under 18 who are not traveling with their parents and want to enter the United States.
What is in this article?
- What is expedited removal?
- What happens in expedited removal?
- Can you stop or delay an order of expedited removal?
What is Expedited Removal?
It is a process that allows the U.S. government to deport people quickly.
Most people in expedited removal are people apprehended by immigration officials immediately, or soon after, entering the United States without a visa or other type of official permission. This includes people who turn themselves in to immigration officials. People who present at a port of entry without an appointment are also likely to be placed in expedited removal proceedings if they are allowed to speak with U.S. government officials at all.
Please note that if you have a CBP One appointment, you can still be put into expedited removal. This is more likely if you have a history of U.S. immigration violations or a criminal history in the United States.
What Happens in Expedited Removal?
If you have an order of Expedited Removal you can be deported from the United States very quickly, even on the same day that you enter the country. Usually, if a person with an expedited removal order cannot be deported right away, they will be detained until they can be deported.
You can be deported to your country of nationality or your home country. However, some people can be deported to Mexico even if they are not from Mexico, including people from: Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
If you are in this fast deportation process you can still qualify for asylum in limited circumstances or other statuses called withholding of removal and Convention Against Torture protection. To be able to apply for asylum or these other statuses, you must say you are afraid to return home and pass a credible fear interview or reasonable fear interview.
Can you stop or delay an order of expedited removal?
If you are afraid of returning to your home country, you must tell a US immigration or CBP official about the fears that you have right away, when you first encounter US immigration. The expedited removal process can happen very quickly, so it is important to share these concerns with US officials as quickly as possible. Officials are not required to ask, and likely will not ask, if you are afraid - you must tell them you are afraid, if you are, without being asked. Every member of a family should be ready to say they are afraid if they are in fact afraid to return home.