NOTE: This information is up-to-date as of August 4, 2023. U.S. immigration law and policies can change quickly, please note that information can change since the last update. We do our best to update when there are significant changes. The information provided on this website is not legal advice. It is intended for educational purposes only.
Who is this information for?
This information is for people who want to enter the United States at land borders between the United States and Mexico or who are encountered at sea by US authorities. Unless otherwise stated, this information applies to two groups: 1) adults traveling alone and 2) families traveling together. Children under 18 who are not traveling with their parents and seeking to enter the United States have a different set of rules that apply to them.
What is Expedited Removal?
Expedited removal is the fast-track deportation process against:
- certain people who are in the United States whom the government says should not be allowed to stay, OR
- people trying to enter the United States at a port of entry without an appointment.
People who do not show they qualify for status in the United States in this fast-track process are deported from the United States quickly.
Who Can be Placed in Expedited Removal?
Expedited removal can be used against anyone who enters the United States without permission who the US government detains or encounters within 100 miles of the US-Mexico border. Unless a person has an appointment to present at the border, the expedited removal process now applies to everyone seeking to enter at the US-Mexico border except for children under 18 who are traveling without a parent.
What Happens in Expedited Removal?
A person who is in the expedited removal process may still be eligible for asylum. To be able to apply for asylum, a person in this process must say they are afraid to return home and pass a credible fear interview.
If a person is ordered removed, they can be deported to their country of citizenship or, for certain nationalities, to Mexico. As of May 16, 2023 the following nationalities, in addition to Mexicans, can be deported to Mexico: Haitians, Cubans, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans.
A person with an expedited removal order can be deported from the United States very quickly - even within the same day. If a person has to wait to be removed from the United States, they will be held in U.S. immigration detention until they can be deported.
Can a person stop or delay an order of expedited removal?
If a person is afraid of returning to their home country, the person must tell a US immigration or CBP official about the fears that they have right away when they first encounter US immigration. The expedited removal process can happen very quickly.
People who say they have a fear of returning to their home country (and, for Venezuelans, Haitians, Cubans, and Nicaraguans people who say they have a fear of returning to Mexico) should be given a credible fear interview (CFI) by an immigration official. A credible fear interview is a meeting between the person and an immigration official where the person must explain why they are afraid to return to their home country (or Mexico) and why they should not be sent back. More information about credible fear interviews can be found here.
People who do not pass a credible fear interview will be placed back in the expedited removal process and are at risk of deportation on a very fast timetable, potentially the very same day.
NOTE: This information is up-to-date as of August 4, 2023. U.S. immigration law and policies can change quickly, please note that information can change since the last update. We do our best to update when there are significant changes. The information provided on this website is not legal advice. It is intended for educational purposes only.