Expedited removal is an immigration enforcement mechanism that allows the U.S. government to deport certain noncitizens without a formal hearing before an immigration judge. Congress authorized it in 1996 under the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act. The process applies primarily to people apprehended near the border. In 2025, the Trump administration expanded its use to include people who entered within the prior two years, regardless of location. Noncitizens subject to expedited removal have narrower appeal rights and cannot contest their removal in immigration court the way standard removal proceedings allow.