1. United States
2. Md.
3. Letter

I urge Congress to amend 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(1)(A)(iii) to limit expedited removal authority to its historically narrower use: people apprehended within 100 miles of the border and within a short period after unlawful entry, such as 14 days. Congress created expedited removal in 1996, but the statute gives the executive branch broad discretion to expand it nationwide for people who cannot quickly prove two years of continuous physical presence. That creates a serious due process problem. Someone living far from the border can be placed into a fast-track removal process without a normal immigration court hearing simply because they cannot immediately produce the right documents while detained. This is not just an immigration policy issue. It is a separation-of-powers issue. Congress should not leave such a sweeping deprivation of liberty and due process to changing executive policy. If expedited removal is going to exist, its outer limits should be set clearly by Congress, not expanded or contracted by each administration. Please support legislation that codifies a 100-mile geographic limit, a short post-entry time limit, and clear protections for people who have been living in the United States, have claims to lawful status, or express fear of persecution. Expedited removal should be limited to true recent border-entry cases, not used as a nationwide interior enforcement shortcut. Congress has the authority to fix this. Please act to narrow the statute and restore meaningful due process protections.