Acceleration of Immigration Court Hearings Under DOJ Strategy

A federal officer was observed in a hallway at New York Federal Plaza Immigration Court in the Jacob K. Javitz Federal Building, in New York City, as of October 2025. The Justice Department’s immigration courts are significantly speeding up hearings and grouping them to issue more deportation orders. Immigration attorneys and the American Immigration Lawyers Association, a trade organization monitoring court trends, shared this new approach with NPR.

Currently, immigrants face massive master calendar hearings, referred to as ‘mega masters’, which gather 100 or more individuals simultaneously. Traditionally, such hearings included approximately two or three dozen individuals. For many, this represents the first court appearance to argue for staying in the U.S.

Attorneys express concern over these hearings, especially for immigrants without legal representation. Those who arrive late or miss their hearings risk receiving removal orders, thus reducing the already limited due process. Vanessa Dojaquez-Torres, policy counsel at AILA, stated, “The major concern is that this targets individuals without attorneys, who might not receive adequate notice.” She added that the courts often lack sufficient seating for such large gatherings, potentially aiming to increase automatic deportation orders.

The Executive Office for Immigration Review, responsible for the DOJ’s immigration courts, did not comment on this strategy. Lawyers observed the practice unfolding in Chicago, Boston, and Chelmsford, Mass., with plans to implement it in the Dallas Immigration Court. President Trump aims to deport one million people annually, a figure surpassing the 600,000 deported in 2025. Trump criticizes immigration court backlogs, seeing them as hindrances to rapid deportment.

Challenges with Court Notices and Overwhelmed Courthouses

Failing to attend a scheduled hearing can result in a removal order, enabling officers to detain and deport the individual. NPR’s analysis indicates this has become more frequent under Trump’s administration. Immigrants, particularly those without lawyers, may remain unaware of rescheduled hearing dates, making them susceptible to deportation. In some cases, minimal or no notice is issued by the government to these individuals or their attorneys, potentially causing missed updates.

The ‘mega masters’ consist of cases originally scheduled for 2027 to 2029. An immigration attorney from Texas, speaking anonymously due to potential reprisals, noted a government anticipation of absentees facilitating completion and issuance of in absentia removal orders. If attendees do show up, this could lead to court overcrowding and overtaxed staff and judges.

While earlier court scheduling might benefit some clients, unrepresented individuals are unlikely to experience such advantages.

New Judges Boost DOJ’s Case Capacity

EOIR’s efforts to streamline cases under Trump’s administration are not new. Besides hosting ‘mega masters’, prioritization occurs for cases involving individuals from specific nationalities like Somalis, Syrians, and Iranians, and juvenile immigrants.

Recently, DOJ announced onboarding its largest-ever class of 77 immigration judges and five temporary military lawyers. This fiscal year, 153 judges were hired, marking a record-breaking annual hiring. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated the administration is committed to rebuilding an immigration judge corps focused on upholding the rule of law within the national immigration system.

Rapid hirings follow EOIR’s prior loss of about a quarter of immigration judges, exceeding 100 dismissals last year. Despite new judges joining, several others, including those in New York and California, were fired simultaneously. NPR’s analysis indicates that judges previously representing immigrant clients were more likely to face dismissal compared to their DHS-experienced counterparts.