Trump administration speeds up deportation process for migrant children

The administration of Donald Trump is taking steps to accelerate the deportation process for migrant children in US custody, amid pressure from the White House to move minors more quickly through the immigration system, according to administration officials and lawyers representing the children, cited by CNN.

As part of the effort, immigration hearings—where judges determine whether a child can remain in the United States or be deported—are being rescheduled weeks or even months earlier than originally planned. Attorneys and advocates say the compressed timelines are making it increasingly difficult to secure immigration relief for children within an already complex legal process.

In some cases, children as young as four years old are being required to appear in court repeatedly within short timeframes to provide updates on their cases, sometimes without legal representation. Advocates warn that the frequency and pace of hearings are placing significant psychological strain on minors who are still becoming familiar with the legal system.

According to Emily Norman, regional director for the East Coast at Kids in Need of Defence, children are experiencing “enormous pressure,” with some reacting in distress during court proceedings.

The policy shift is the latest in a series of measures targeting minors who entered the United States unaccompanied or who have returned to government custody following enforcement operations by Immigration and Customs Enforcement that resulted in the detention of their guardians.

Lawyers and child advocates have raised concerns that expedited timelines could lead to vulnerable children being returned to the dangerous conditions they initially fled.

“They’re all some combination of confused, scared and frustrated,” said Scott Bassett, managing attorney of the Children’s Program at the Amica Centre for Immigrant Rights.

Examples cited by advocates highlight the abrupt nature of the scheduling changes. One five-year-old child who arrived unaccompanied in the US was assigned an immigration hearing within one to two weeks of arrival. In Texas, approximately 300 children living in shelters had their hearings moved forward, in some cases with minimal notice. In one instance, a hearing was rescheduled from Thursday to the following Tuesday, while another case initially set for 2027 was suddenly brought forward to less than a week away, according to Norman.

In a statement to CNN, Andrew Nixon, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, said the agency is “focused on resolving cases involving unaccompanied children as quickly and efficiently as possible, consistent with the law.”

Nixon added that many of these children face risks of trafficking and exploitation, and that some are brought across the border by criminal networks under coercive conditions. He said expediting cases helps disrupt such networks, ensures children are returned to safe environments more quickly, reduces time spent in custody, lowers taxpayer costs, and allows the system to function as intended.

A White House official echoed that position in comments to CNN, stating that the administration is working to disrupt cartel-related activities and “humanely return trafficked children to their homes and families as expeditiously as possible.”

By Tamilla Hasanova