What is categorized as "expedited removal" within the INA?

The correct answer pertains to "expedited removal," a provision under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Expedited removal is a process that allows certain classes of individuals, particularly those who are arriving at a port of entry and who are found to be inadmissible based on specific grounds, to be quickly removed from the United States without the usual lengthy immigration court proceedings.

This process is primarily applied to individuals who have just arrived and are not in a legal status, aligning with the intent of streamlined removal procedures for particular inadmissibility categories, such as those related to security, public charge, or misrepresentation. Thus, individuals identified as "arrival aliens" who fall under these inadmissibility grounds can be sent back immediately, enhancing the efficiency of immigration enforcement.

The other options do not correctly align with the criteria for expedited removal. For example, individuals seeking asylum who are not in detention might still go through a different process that involves hearings to determine eligibility for asylum, rather than being expedited to removal. Additionally, past residents of the US without documents do not fall under the expedited removal category, as they have not recently arrived. Lastly, aliens who have been in the US for over a year are typically not subjected to expedited removal procedures, as the