13 August 2004	Friday	26 Jamadi-us-Saani 1425

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug 12: The US immigration officials have announced plans to deport illegal immigrants to their home countries without a judicial hearing.

The programme, known as "expedited removal," will be applied to illegal immigrants from countries other than Canada and Mexico who are apprehended near the border areas of Arizona and Texas, Homeland Security Under secretary Asa Hutchinson said.

Currently, immigrants whose home countries do not share a border with the US and who are apprehended outside the ports of entry are released on bond, but about 90 per cent do not show up for court, Mr Hutchinson said.

Beginning later this month, illegal immigrants who are caught by patrols in Arizona and Texas within 14 days of their arrival and within 100 miles of the border will be detained and flown back to their homeland as soon as possible.

This is the second time that the government has expanded the "expedited removal" process since the Sept 11 attacks. In November 2002, the government said it was extending the process of deportations without judicial review for illegal immigrants at airports to those at seaports.

Last year, about 43,000 illegal immigrants were swiftly deported without scrutiny from immigration judges. Meanwhile, the US will allow the roughly seven million Mexicans who carry border-crossing cards - which let them visit the United States for three consecutive days - to visit for up to 30 days at a time using the same card. The measure was announced one day before President Bush's election campaign visits to the border states of New Mexico and Arizona to woo Hispanic voters.