Today | News | Books | Recipes New immigration court tactic leads to huge lines and chaos in Miami New immigration court tactic leads to huge lines and chaos in Miami Text-Only Version Go To Full Site By Sergio Martínez-Beltrán He takes a step aside and lights up a cigarette. "This is crazy, man," Gonzalez says in Spanish. The line - which stretches across a few blocks on this humid Tuesday morning - is of people waiting to go inside Miami's immigration court. All of the people in line have a scheduled hearing - for many it's their first court appearance. Avene Jeanite, a 52-year-old Haitian man, is among those waiting. He was here last month accompanying a friend facing deportation. But today is his appointment. "It was not like this - you would go to the door and they'd let you in," Jeanite said. "Today is completely different." The long lines are not a glitch. They are the result of a new Trump administration tactic, known as "mega master" calendar hearings," designed to quickly deport people. Under the old system, each judge would handle about three dozen cases per day. But now, judges more regularly have a docket of over 100 people, and they are seeing dozens of immigrant cases at once. Trump administration officials say the accelerated calendar is needed to clear a massive backlog; critics call it a tactic to unfairly speed up deportations. "It's a very unfair, but a very effective tactic," said David Wilson, the vice chair of the American Immigration Lawyers Association's immigration court committee. He said "mega masters" create chaos because the court is cramming a lot of immigrants in one docket, making it hard for the court itself to send notices in a timely manner and for the immigrant to find legal representation. "When that happens, it generates a significant no-show rate," Wilson said. A spokesperson for the Justice Department said in a statement to NPR that "reducing the immigration court backlog remains one of the highest priorities for this administration." Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Executive Office for Immigration Review, the agency that oversees immigration courts, said that as the agency continues to add immigration judges, it "will continue to make scheduling adjustments to ensure all cases are handled in a timely and lawful manner." Since mega master calendar hearings started, in-absentia deportation orders have spiked to a record high, according to the legal tech platform bklg. In July, more than 54,000 immigrants nationwide were ordered deported for missing their court hearing. That number was similar to the 56,000 in June. Both reflect a 60% increase over the last few months. In the Miami immigration court, the increase of in-absentia orders in July spiked from 1,383 in May to 2,886 in July - a 108% increase. Crammed courtrooms, confusion and frustration On this day, it's standing room only in courtroom 24. Recording is not allowed. But NPR saw Judge Xavier Racine call a group of some 30 people at once. He reads them their rights, and assigns them a new court hearing - a month from today. Other judges assign court hearings as quickly as in two weeks. The Miami immigration court docket has exploded for three key reasons: The Trump administration is arresting a record monthly number of immigrants, it is moving up people's court dates that had been scheduled for 2027, and making people show up for cases that previous administrations deemed low priority because they have a high chance of being dismissed. Yeriné, a 30-year-old Venezuelan mother who asked NPR to use her first name because she fears jeopardizing her immigration case, says she's concerned about being on these massive dockets. She had an appointment for May 2027 and it got rescheduled for Tuesday. Standing in line outside the Miami immigration court, she says she's concerned about everything. "I see this long line of people and they might not make it on time to their hearings," she said. "That scares me." Billie Botch, a court observer with the American Friends Service Committee, a social justice group founded by the Quakers, told NPR this is causing a lot of operational issues. People are also showing up late to their court appointments because they are waiting in line for hours. "You can't deny the correlation," Botch said. "You put more people into proceedings on shorter notice with less resources to go around to argue their case, You're going to end up with more removal orders." AILSA CHANG, HOST: A new legal maneuver used by the Trump administration to quickly deport people is causing chaos at a Miami courthouse. The immigration court there is now holding mass hearings, with some judges processing more than 100 people at once. These sped-up proceedings are creating long lines, confusion and, of course, frustration, as NPR's Sergio Martínez-Beltrán reports from Miami.SERGIO MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN, BYLINE: It's 7:45 in the morning outside the federal immigration court in Miami, and the line already stretches more than two blocks. It's a Tuesday, and hundreds of people use their immigration folders to fan themselves in an attempt to fight off Florida's summer humidity. Yerandy Gonzalez, a Cuban immigrant, is one of them.YERANDY GONZALEZ: (Speaking Spanish).MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: Gonzalez says his appointment is at 9 a.m. But with this massive line, he worries he won't get in the courtroom until late afternoon.GONZALEZ: (Speaking Spanish).MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: "This is crazy," Gonzalez says. This chaos is because of a new legal strategy - mass immigration hearings known as mega master calendars. Under the old system, judges would often handle about three dozen cases individually per day. But now, judges more regularly have a docket of more than 100 people, and they're seeing dozens of immigrant cases at once. Inside courtroom 24 on this day is standing room only. Recording is not allowed, but NPR saw Judge Xavier Racine call a group of some 30 people at once. He reads them their rights and assigns them a new court hearing a month from today. Other judges assign court hearings as quickly as in two weeks.BILLIE BOTCH: It's causing a lot of operational difficulties, just literally getting people in through the door on time.MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: Billie Botch is a court observer with the American Friends Service Committee, a social justice group founded by the Quakers.BOTCH: People are being - showing up late for the hearings because they're still waiting outside in line.MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: That lateness can have serious consequences. If an immigrant misses his or her court hearing, they could be deported in absentia. That's the fear of Yerine, a 30-year-old Venezuelan mother who asked NPR to use her first name because she fears jeopardizing her immigration case.YERINE: (Speaking Spanish).MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: "I got a message last week that said my hearing had been moved up to September 1 from May 2027," she says. Standing in the long line outside the Miami Immigration Court, Yerine says the accelerated timeline didn't leave her enough time to get an attorney.YERINE: (Speaking Spanish).MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: "I'm seeing this long line of people who might not make it on time to court," Yerine says, adding, "that scares me." The Miami immigration court docket has exploded for three key reasons. The Trump administration is arresting a record monthly number of immigrants. They're moving up people's court dates that had been scheduled for 2027, and they're making people show up for cases that previous administrations deemed low priority because they have a high chance of being dismissed. Botch, the court observer, believes all of this is a calculated tactic by the Trump administration. Immigrants are rushed through their court cases without getting enough time to petition for relief.BOTCH: You know, you can't deny the correlation. You put more people into proceedings on shorter notice with less resources to go around to argue their case, you're going to end up with more removal orders.MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: A spokesperson for the Executive Office for Immigration Review, which runs the immigration courts, told NPR what it called scheduling adjustments were needed to speed up the removal of immigrants, quote, "with nonmeritorious claims." This sped-up process here doesn't guarantee people will be sent back to their home countries, but it certainly means more are at risk of deportation. Since mega master calendar hearings started nationwide, in absentia deportation orders have spiked to a record high, according to the immigration legal tech platform Backlog (ph). This summer saw about 56,000 in absentia removal orders - up more than 60% over previous months.Sergio Martínez-Beltrán, NPR News, Miami.(SOUNDBITE OF ALEX VAUGHN SONG, "SO BE IT") Links
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