On The Docket
Deciding who stays — inside the nation’s immigration courts.
Closed door justice
Story by Suzgo Chitete
Since President Donald Trump returned to office, advocacy groups, court observers and journalists have increasingly been barred from immigration court hearings.
Notario fraud persists in Chicago as the Trump Administration toys with immigration courts
Story by Vani Subramony
Graphics by Jesse Renee Kennedy
In Chicago, people looking for assistance with immigration paperwork have the chance of being taken advantage of by notario públicos.
Behind the Docket
Story by Project Staff
One month, six universities, 62 students, 1,025 proceedings: Scenes from an overstrained immigration system in America.
Trends, jargon inside Chicago immigration courts
Story by Clare Kirwan
Navigating immigration court is complicated and people before the court, known as respondents, often fall through the cracks.
Chaos and confusion inside Omaha’s Immigration Court
Story by Justin Diep
Omaha's Immigration Court is backlogged, overwhelmed with language barriers and policy changes.
Immigrant youth risk losing special protection status
Story by Izabell Escobar
Timing, dueling court systems and lack of legal help often creates confusion for immigrant youth threatening special protections provided to some.
Fighting for immigrants amid policy shifts
Story by Grace Lewis
An Omaha lawyer fights for clients caught in immigration system overhaul.
Interpreters can shape asylum hearings
Story by Wesley J. Pérez Vidal & Ben Butler & Olivia Boyer
Photos by Cassie Roshu
Immigration courts heavily rely on remote interpreters. When things go wrong, it can have life-altering consequences.
Bonds without bounds
Story by Mia Osmonbekov
A middle-aged man detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with no criminal record, a 15-year history with his local church, and a U.S. citizen wife and children, sat in an Eloy, Arizona, immigration court.
Immigration courts backlog has grown since 2012
Story by Duncan Green & Brenne Sheehan
Photos by Ike Wood
Immigration cases have swelled since 2012. Though courts have moved faster the past two years, critics say the Trump admin’s “efficiency” comes at the expense of due process.
In Chicago’s immigration court: Cases of chaos, despair and hope
Story by Project Staff
In Chicago’s immigration court hundreds of immigrants go through proceedings that will determine whether they will be able to stay in the U.S.
Due process at risk in Trump’s immigration courts
Story by Bryan Nicolas-Nicolas
How firings and other dramatic changes are affecting the immigration court system – and due process.
Immigration courts face pressure to move faster
Story by Tymber Klahr
Photos by Ike Wood
Attorneys and former judges say Trump administration policies aimed at efficiency risk limiting fairness.
What is a habeas corpus petition?
Story by Laura Robertson & Mikayla Melo
Explaining one of the only ways detained migrants can be released from ICE detention.
Immigration Court Guide
Story by Project Staff
Explore the Executive Office for Immigration Review immigration courts across the United States including court address and responsibilities.
What we observed in U.S. immigration courts
Story by Griffin W. Fellows & Brenne Sheehan
Photos by Ike Wood
Lives in the Balance brought together six universities to document and observe immigration court hearings..