Immigration Court Reform Committee

Overview

The Immigration Committee works in conjunction with the Appleseed Network Work Group on Immigration. Its goal is to focus on the fairness and effectiveness of the immigration courts.

The Immigration Court Reform Committee along the national Appleseed Network, Latham & Watkins LLP, and Akin Gump LLP, spearheaded a comprehensive evaluation of the United States’ Immigration Court System. Most recently, the Appleseed Network – led by Steve Schuman and his pro bono team – created and distributed a manual, Getting Off the Assembly Line: Overcoming Immigration Court Obstacles in Individual Cases. The manual covers deportation issues pertinent to immigration attorneys. The manual was completed in December 2016 and will continue to be updated as necessary.

This signature effort has also produced two in-depth reports, congressional testimony, and the Executive Office for Immigration Review’s (EOIR) adoption of crucial reforms. The first report, Assembly Line Injustice, is based on interviews with experts who have day-to-day experience in Immigration Courts, setting it apart from previous evaluations. The second report, Reimagining the Immigration Court Assembly Line, scores the Court’s response to recommendations in the first report.

 

Co-Chairs: Ellen Craig & Lisa Palumbo

Contact Malcolm Rich at malcolmrich@chicagoappleseed.orG for information about joining the Immigration Court Reform Committee.

 

Current Projects

Immigration Bond Hearings

  • Chicago Appleseed, the Chicago Council of Lawyers, the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law’s Collaboration for Justice student chapter, Legal Aid Chicago, and Latham & Watkins have observed over 200 immigration bond hearings in order to understand how the system functions and develop potential systemic fixes and advocacy strategies to implement fixes

Updating Reimagining the Immigration Court Assembly Line

  • Updating the second report in our Assembly Line series to include topics such as independence and quality of Immigration Judges, video-teleconferencing, translation services, and stopping the inappropriate presence of ICE in the courthouses

 

Publications

Public Education Materials

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