Federal judge blocks Trump's 'fast-track deportations'

NEW YORK

A federal court judge in Washington on Saturday blocked the Trump administration's move to speed up the deportation of undocumented immigrants.

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson said in the ruling as cited by CNN: "Government actors who make policy decisions in their official capacities cannot succumb to whims or passions while rulemaking; instead, they must carefully evaluate all of the relevant facts and circumstances and take into account the feedback they have to solicit and receive from interested members of the public."

The Trump administration's move last July drew much criticism as it attempted to fast-track deportation of undocumented immigrants without giving them a fair hearing before an immigration judge.

Saturday's ruling was slammed by the White House saying the government for two and a half years has been trying to fix immigration laws adopted by the Congress -- which the "misguided" lower courts have been trying to obstruct.