The Department of Homeland Security had argued that the policy change would relieve overburdened immigration courts and "harmonize" existing regulations to apply equally to undocumented immigrants whether they arrive by land or sea.
"The effect of that change will be to enhance national security and public safety — while reducing government costs — by facilitating prompt immigration determinations," DHS said in the July notice.
"We are past the breaking point and must take all appropriate action to enforce the law, along the U.S. borders and within the country's interior," said acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan when the new policy was announced. "This designation makes it clear that if you have no legal right to be here, we will remove you."
The American Civil Liberties Union, American Immigration Council, and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP sought the preliminary injunction.
"The court rejected the Trump administration's illegal attempt to remove hundreds of thousands of people from the U.S. without any legal recourse," ACLU attorney Anand Balakrishnan, who argued the case, said in a statement. "This ruling recognizes the irreparable harm of this policy."
The preliminary injunction blocks the expanded expedited removal policy from being applied until the court has finished litigation on the matter.
NPR reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
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