NYLAG’s Testimony on the State of Judicial Independence and Due Process in U.S. Immigration Courts

As advocates before the Executive Office for Immigration Review (“EOIR”), NYLAG attorneys have noticed alarming trends towards the erosion of the independence of immigration judges in making even the most routine decisions, resulting in widespread due process violations for those in removal proceedings. Indeed, immigration judges have openly stated during hearings in which NYLAG attorneys have appeared for immigrant respondents that they no longer have the authority to make even the most basic docket management decisions.