Immigrants scheduled for hearings in Maryland and Virginia have been redirected to new, unofficial courtroom locations with last-minute notifications, according to five immigration attorneys who reviewed notices or observed the proceedings.
Those originally set to appear in Hyattsville and Baltimore immigration courts in Maryland, and Sterling court in Virginia, are now slated for hearings in Washington, D.C. and Falls Church, Virginia. Neither building is equipped as an immigration court for in-person hearings. The D.C. location has no listed affiliation with the Justice Department and is reportedly occupied by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Notifications for rescheduled appointments arrived within days of the new hearing dates. In at least two documented cases, immigrants received no notification at all.
Kel White, an officer of the D.C. chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, attended one hearing this week. White, with over 15 years of legal practice, described the setup as "the most unusual thing I've ever seen." White observed an immigrant appearing in person while the judge and prosecutor participated remotely.
White said the last-minute changes and lack of proper notice violate Justice Department regulations. The department oversees some 60 immigration courts and adjudication centers through its Executive Office for Immigration Review. A policy manual requires at least ten days' notice for a response to a new hearing date.
"My concern about these hidden tribunals is that essentially people are not getting notice of them or that the mail would not arrive in time for them to even know that they need to go to court," White said.
The attorneys observed that notices appeared to target immigrants who lacked legal representation. Most immigrants seeking to argue their case to remain in the United States do not have a lawyer.
Missing a scheduled hearing, even by mistake, can result in an "in-absentia order of removal," allowing immigration officers to detain and deport the individual.
The effort is part of a broader Trump administration strategy to accelerate arrests and deportations by limiting immigrants' due process options.
