So-called Mega Master hearings change Omaha immigration proceedings

Attorney said immigration courts nationwide have a substantial number of people come in at once to have hearings, including right here in Omaha.

Read the full article on KETV 7

‘Nobody likes this, yet this is the reality’: So-called Mega Master hearings change Omaha immigration proceedings

OMAHA, Neb. —

The Omaha Immigration Court is holding hundreds of people in preliminary hearings at once.

One attorney, Julia Cryne, said this started in June, and added they are “moving dates for these hearings up, sometimes by years, and with only about 30 days’ notice, this increases the chances that people will miss their hearing, and thus be deported in absentia.”

In a statement to KETV, the Department of Justice said, “The Biden Administration allowed millions of unvetted migrants into our communities and intentionally turned a blind eye to hundreds of thousands of unaccompanied alien children in need of care. Reducing the immigration court backlog remains one of the highest priorities for this administration. The Justice Department is restoring integrity to our immigration system by hearing cases fairly, expeditiously, and uniformly, in accordance with the law.”

KETV NewsWatch 7’s Madison Perales went to a so-called “mega master” hearing Wednesday and described what she saw in the courtroom since media is not allowed to record inside the building.

One of the things she observed was the judge’s frustration that people are moving addresses and not getting notified of these hearings.

Many of these people were representing themselves in court and saw no one explain to them how they can notify officials of their change in address.

How to notify immigration officials of an address change:

Notify the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) office
Immigrants in the country illegally must notify USCIS within 10 days of moving; this does not apply to A and G visa holders or visa waiver visitors
Submit changes through a USCIS online account or by filing an AR-11 form
Use the United States Postal Service tool to ensure you’re using the proper abbreviations and formatting when you provide your address to USCIS

“They call them ‘mega masters,’ kind of colloquially, at least on our side of it, because there’s so many people coming here,” Omaha immigration attorney Brian Blackford said.

People showed up with partners and families; some brought their babies in strollers.

Blackford explained that immigration courts nationwide have a substantial number of people come in at once to have hearings, including right here in Omaha.

“Today, I was backed up to the street here. I’ve never seen that in my career. Being backed up and having to wait this long,” he said. “Maybe even a month or so ago, it’s definitely less than 50, probably more like 30 to 40 cases.”

On Wednesday, Perales said she saw around 200 people listed on the judges’ dockets in total and that security guards counted 123 people, which they said was 17 short of what they were expecting.

“It’s frustration for everybody,” Blackford said. “Even up to the judges, nobody likes this, and yet this is the reality.”

The Executive Office for Immigration Review said in a statement to KETV that it “prioritizes the timely completion of all cases, including those of unaccompanied alien children, and makes scheduling adjustments as needed to ensure cases do not languish. Unnecessary delay hurts both aliens with meritorious claims and the American public who wish to see aliens with non-meritorious claims removed as quickly as possible. As it continues to add new immigration judges, EOIR will continue to make scheduling adjustments to ensure all cases are handled in a timely and lawful manner.”

Perales was allowed to go into one of the courtrooms to sit and observe the hearings but was immediately taken out into the hallway and asked to wait until everyone had their hearings.

The official she spoke with said it was due to the sheer number of people there, and that there wasn’t enough space for her to sit and observe.

However, the courtroom that she was in had empty seats. A short while later, she was allowed to go back inside.

Nearly 30 people squeezed into the courtroom Perales was in, and none had an attorney to represent them.

“I think over half of the people on the docket sheet today do not have an attorney,” Blackford said. “This is, a lot of times, their initial removal hearing, and if you don’t show up, you get ordered removed or deported.”

One family traveled all the way from Virginia, and two others came from Des Moines to make their hearings Wednesday.

Removal hearings are for anyone who does not have legal status in the U.S.; that includes people working toward permanent residency.

Like those under Temporary Protected Status. The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that those under TPS could now face deportation.

“Those people are going to be out of status,” Blackford said. “They’re already in the system, so immigration could easily just turn around, put them in removal proceedings.”

Blackford said the short notice makes it difficult for people to find an attorney and make arrangements.

“The message is we’re going to try to shuffle you through, due process be damned, in my opinion,” he said.

Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google search.