DHS, DOJ Announce Program to Expedite Decisions in Immigration Court Cases

The Biden administration continues its efforts to exert control over the flow of migrants at the U.S./Mexico border.  

NBC News reports on the latest.  The Biden administration yesterday announced an effort to shorten the time it takes for U.S. immigration judges to decide asylum cases of migrants who unlawfully enter the country in the U.S./Mexico border region.  Migrants released by federal border officials after crossing into the U.S. unlawfully will be eligible to be placed a joint initiative between the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department.  “The effort’s objective, senior U.S. officials said, is to speed up the process of granting asylum to migrants with legitimate cases, and rejecting weak cases. “

In the announcement of the new initiative, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas and Attorney General Merrick B. Garland stated that the “new Recent Arrivals (RA) Docket process to more expeditiously resolve immigration cases of certain noncitizen single adults who attempt to cross irregularly between ports of entry at the Southwest border.

This effort will allow DHS and DOJ to more swiftly impose consequences, including removal, on those without a legal basis to remain in the United States and to more swiftly grant immigration relief or protections to noncitizens with valid claims. The Justice Department also submitted to the Federal Register a final rule to promote efficient case and docket management in immigration proceedings. . . .

Under the RA Docket process, DHS will place certain noncitizen single adults on the RA Docket, and EOIR adjudicators will prioritize the adjudication of these cases. The RA Docket will operate in five cities: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City. Immigration judges will aim to render final decisions within 180 days, though the time to decision in any particular case will remain subject to case-specific circumstances and procedural protections, including allowing time for noncitizens to seek representation where needed.”

KJ