Immigration Courts

Immigration courts play a crucial role in ensuring that immigration laws are applied fairly and consistently, providing due process to those facing removal. Learn more about issues facing the courts today and explore the actions we're taking to ensure the rights of immigrants are upheld and legal integrity is maintained.

Detained Immigrants Ask Court to Stop ICE Interference to Phone Access in Immigration Detention Centers

Detained Immigrants Ask Court to Stop ICE Interference to Phone Access in Immigration Detention Centers

Individuals in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody at the Otero County Processing Center filed a motion for preliminary injunction to stop ICE from denying detained individuals the ability to contact their lawyers and the outside world by phone. Read More

COVID-19 Wreaks Havoc on Immigration Courts With No Clear Plan to Stop Spread

COVID-19 Wreaks Havoc on Immigration Courts With No Clear Plan to Stop Spread

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread throughout the United States, immigration courts around the country remain in turmoil. The Executive Office for Immigration Review (“EOIR”) initially postponed all non-detained hearings when lockdowns began in March. However, EOIR refused to close all… Read More

New FOIA Request Filed to Force Agency to Release Immigration Court Operations Information on COVID-19 Pandemic

New FOIA Request Filed to Force Agency to Release Immigration Court Operations Information on COVID-19 Pandemic

The public has a right to know the safeguards that the government has in place to prevent the unnecessary illness and possible death of numerous individuals still reporting to work in immigration courts throughout the country. Read More

The Federal Agency Running the Immigration Courts Keeps Deleting Asylum Records

The Federal Agency Running the Immigration Courts Keeps Deleting Asylum Records

With 1.2 million cases pending in immigration court, transparency into how the courts are run is more important than ever. Unlike traditional courts where records are public, the only way to get data on immigration court cases is through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) or through a narrow set… Read More

Board of Immigration Appeals’ Restructuring and Hiring Plan Reveals Anti-Immigrant Bias

Board of Immigration Appeals’ Restructuring and Hiring Plan Reveals Anti-Immigrant Bias

The Board of Immigration Appeals’ (BIA) hiring process for immigration appellate judges was recently revealed. Now, the integrity of the immigration court system has never been more in question. These procedures reflect how the agency has altered the hiring process to promote judges with a track record of anti-immigrant bias. Read More

New Report Reveals the Impact of COVID-19 Across the US Immigration System

New Report Reveals the Impact of COVID-19 Across the US Immigration System

The American Immigration Council's latest report examines major changes to the U.S. immigration system in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the unique challenges the pandemic has created for noncitizens and government agencies. Read More

Board of Immigration Appeals Green Lights Major Errors on Notice to Appear Forms

Board of Immigration Appeals Green Lights Major Errors on Notice to Appear Forms

The U.S. government rejects an immigrant’s entire application for a visa or immigration benefit over a single blank field on a form. Applications can be rejected if a box is left unchecked or has a missing line—say, for an apartment number when the applicant lives in a house, or… Read More

New Documents Reveal Immigration Judge Hiring Plan Designed to Stack the Courts, Prioritize Politics Over Justice

New Documents Reveal Immigration Judge Hiring Plan Designed to Stack the Courts, Prioritize Politics Over Justice

The American Immigration Lawyers Association and the American Immigration Council released documents obtained via Freedom of Information Act litigation revealing the Department of Justice Executive Office for Immigration Review’s updated hiring plan for immigration judges and appellate immigration judges. Read More

Plaintiffs Will Continue Fight to Halt Dangerous and Unconstitutional Practices by EOIR and ICE

Plaintiffs Will Continue Fight to Halt Dangerous and Unconstitutional Practices by EOIR and ICE

Today’s Court decision denying the emergency temporary restraining order in NIPNLG, et al., v. EOIR, et al., is deeply disappointing. This lawsuit was brought against the Executive Office for Immigration Review and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to protect the health of immigration attorneys, immigrants, and the public from the impact of dangerous and unconstitutional policies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read More

Temporary Restraining Order Requested to Stop Dangerous EOIR and ICE Policies During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Temporary Restraining Order Requested to Stop Dangerous EOIR and ICE Policies During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Immigration groups moved for an emergency temporary restraining order against the Executive Office for Immigration Review and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in order to protect the health of immigration attorneys, immigrants, and the public from the impact of dangerous and unconstitutional policies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read More

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