By Maribel Velazquez
Immigration courts began implementing a new strategy to expedite deportations: summary hearings with more than 100 immigrants at the same timea measure that is already generating concern among lawyers and civil rights organizations.
According to information from NPR and testimony from immigration lawyers, these “summary hearings” are being used primarily in cases of people without true representation, which could increase automatic deportation orders.
Pressure grows on immigrants without lawyers
The practice has already been detected in cities such as Chicago, Boston and Chelmsford, Massachusetts, and could soon spread to Dallas. Before, The first immigration hearings brought together between 20 and 30 people; Now the number exceeds 100.
“The main concern is that many people do not receive adequate notification”warned Vanessa Dojaquez-Torres, public policy attorney at the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA).
According to specialists, those who arrive late or do not appear receive deportation orders in absentiaa tool that allows authorities to quickly detain and expel migrants.
The problem, they explain, is that many immigrants are unaware that their appointments were advancedsince notices do not always arrive by mail or email. In some cases, hearings scheduled for 2027 or 2028 were rescheduled without sufficient notice.
Trump seeks to accelerate mass deportations
The strategy coincides with pressure from President Donald Trump to increase the number of annual deportations and reduce the enormous backlog accumulated in immigration courts.
NPR reported that The Department of Justice (DOJ) also increased the hiring of immigration judges. Last week alone, 77 new judges and five temporary military lawyers were hired to handle immigration cases.
“The Trump administration is committed to restoring the rule of law in the immigration system,” acting U.S. Attorney Todd Blanche said in a statement cited by NPR.
However, immigration lawyers warn that speed could affect due processespecially for those who do not have real defense or face language barriers.
Fear of overcrowding and miscarriages of justice
In addition to legal concerns, experts warn of possible logistical problems. Some courts do not have enough space to accommodate hundreds of people simultaneously.
“They anticipate that many will not show up and thus they will issue more deportation orders”an immigration attorney in Texas who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation told NPR.
Migrant organizations maintain that The measure could cause judicial errors and increase the vulnerability of thousands of immigrants in the midst of a tightening of immigration policy in the United States.
Keep reading:
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- Canada delivers refugees to ICE after denying asylum at the US border
- DHS considers restricting international flights in cities that defy ICE
