Overview
- Reporters and immigration attorneys documented on Tuesday that several courts have begun scheduling master-calendar hearings with 100 or more people at a time, a shift from the prior practice of two to three dozen attendees.
- Lawyers say the mass dockets often involve people without attorneys and can leave migrants unaware of rescheduled dates, increasing the number of removal orders issued in absentia when people miss hearings.
- Attorneys reported courts are moving cases originally set for 2027–2029 up by years and prioritizing certain nationalities and juvenile cases, which can create sudden filing deadlines and strain court staff and courtroom space.
- The Executive Office for Immigration Review did not respond to requests for comment even as the Justice Department has rapidly onboarded dozens of new immigration judges while also removing many others and using temporary military lawyers.
- The tactic fits within a broader enforcement aim from ICE and DOJ to raise deportation volumes — ICE told Congress it plans about 1 million deportations for 2026–27 — and raises fresh legal and due-process questions for migrants and advocates.