Hearings moved to unfamiliar locations on short notice put people without lawyers at risk

NPR reported on September 4 that people with cases in the Hyattsville and Baltimore, Maryland and Sterling, Virginia immigration courts were told, on days’ notice or in some cases not at all, that their hearings had moved to buildings in Washington, D.C. and Falls Church, Virginia that are not currently set up for in-person immigration hearings. According to five immigration attorneys who spoke to NPR, the notices appeared aimed at people who did not have lawyers. At one hearing an attorney observed, the judge and the government’s lawyer appeared by video while the people required to attend were there in person, and the judge ordered several people removed for not appearing. An officer of the D.C. chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) told NPR the short notice violates Justice Department rules. The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) said it makes scheduling adjustments and opens new hearing locations as needed to handle cases in a timely and lawful manner, and did not answer NPR’s questions about why people were sent to these locations. NPR also reported that removal orders issued in people’s absence have reached a record high, citing the legal technology platform bklg, and that in Baltimore the rate of such orders for people without lawyers rose from 54% in January to 73% in June, according to the group Mobile Pathways.

In a September 28 policy brief, AILA said hearings are also being scheduled at FEMA headquarters in Washington, D.C., at 26 Federal Plaza in New York, and in Los Angeles, with more locations under consideration. AILA says these sites are primarily being used for people without lawyers, that some people received late notice or none, and that ICE officers are denying access to some of the courtrooms. It cites federal rules requiring adequate notice of where to appear and hearings that are open to the public (8 C.F.R. §§ 1003.27 and 1240.10(b)), and it calls for an independent immigration court system. These are AILA’s characterizations of what is happening.

What this may mean: If you have an immigration court case, check your hearing date, time and location regularly, keep your address current with the court, and never skip a hearing because you are unsure where to go. Call the court and EOIR first. Missing a hearing, even by mistake, can lead to a removal order. See why a lawyer matters in immigration court.

Sources: NPR · AILA policy brief (Sept. 28, 2026) · EOIR: Immigration Court Online Resource

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