US immigration judges are deporting people in mass hearings – some without notice

Immigration courts are running large group sessions the Guardian describes as mega master calendar hearings, in which cases are scheduled on short notice and people who do not appear can be ordered deported in their absence. According to the reporting, the approach quietly widens the reach of deportation proceedings.

The coverage describes a system under strain, where judges carry heavy dockets and respondents may have moved, missed a mailed notice, or lacked legal help. Reported accounts include people learning of removal orders only after missing a hearing they say they never knew about.

What matters next, the reporting suggests, is how courts handle notice and access to counsel. Observers will be watching whether the mass-hearing model spreads further, and how appeals and motions to reopen fare for those ordered removed without appearing.