Washingto: A US federal judge has dealt a new blow to President Donald Trump's anti-immigration efforts, blocking a measure meant to relax the criteria for deporting undocumented migrants. The ruling concerns a policy known as expedited removal under which migrants previously found within 160 kilometers of the border within 14 days of their arrival were deported without appearing before an immigration judge.

In July, the Department of Homeland Security implemented a policy to expand the measure to include immigrants found within two years of arrival and located anywhere in the United States. The decision issued late Friday evening by US District Court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson prohibits the DHS from applying the expanded criteria. The move, she said, would leave those affected by the expansion "irreparably harmed."