The second Trump administration has significantly increased immigration arrests, with records set last month partly due to procedural changes in the nation’s immigration courts. Courts nationwide have begun conducting accelerated mass hearings referred to as “mega-masters,” which process large numbers of cases simultaneously and have resulted in deportation orders issued without defendants present.
According to court data, more than 100,000 immigration cases were closed in June, with deportation orders constituting the primary outcome. In Chicago, one immigration judge processed as many as 185 cases in a single session, compared to a historical average of approximately 20. From March through June, deportation orders in Chicago increased by 120 percent. Notably, more than 78 percent of completed cases in June resulted in removal orders issued in absentia, meaning judges ordered deportations of individuals who did not appear in court.
Immigration attorneys and advocates have raised concerns about due process implications. Many immigrants reported not receiving notification that their court dates had been rescheduled, often to dates months or years earlier than originally scheduled. Additionally, some individuals expressed fear of attending hearings following high-profile arrests at immigration court facilities across the country. In some instances, courts scheduled multiple mega-masters simultaneously with different judges, resulting in over 600 people being instructed to appear at a single courthouse, creating significant logistical challenges.
The data shows disparities in outcomes correlating with notice periods. In Kansas City, one docket where individuals received approximately 15 days’ notice of rescheduled dates resulted in 56 absentia orders out of 93 cases, while another docket where individuals received approximately 196 days’ notice produced only 9 absentia orders out of 96 cases. Nationwide, mega-masters produced over 20,000 absentia orders in June alone. The total removal orders issued by immigration judges in June reached just under 79,000, with fewer than 2 percent of completed cases resulting in individuals receiving any form of relief.
Legal representatives note that individuals with removal orders face substantial barriers to reopening their cases without attorney assistance, with only about one in five deported immigrants having legal representation. Once removal orders are issued, individuals become subject to deportation by federal immigration authorities and increasingly through partnerships between federal agencies and local law enforcement, potentially during routine traffic stops or other interactions.
Article Attribution | Read More at Article Source
Article summary produced by Claude AI