Federal immigration courts inside the Justice Department are using large “mega masters” that bundle 100 or more people into single master-calendar hearings, a shift attorneys say is designed to trigger more removal orders—especially against immigrants without
In a hallway at New York’s Federal Plaza Immigration Court inside the Jacob K. Javitz Federal Building, the pace of immigration hearings is changing in a way that attorneys say can decide outcomes before anyone even sits down.
Immigration courts run by the Justice Department are drastically accelerating hearings and bundling cases together in an unprecedented tactic aimed at issuing more deportation orders. Immigration attorneys and the American Immigration Lawyers Association—an organization tracking trends in these courts—described the shift. saying immigrants are now being scheduled for massive master calendar hearings. dubbed “mega masters. ” that include 100 or more people at a time.
That is a dramatic jump from the two or three dozen people typically included for a first hearing.
For many immigrants. a first appearance is the moment they try to make their case to stay in the United States. Attorneys say these new mega masters largely target people without lawyers representing them. They also point to a failure mode that can be fatal in immigration court: those who show up late. or not at all. can receive removal orders that further truncate the already-limited due process available to immigrants.
“The major concern is that [since] this is going to be a group of people without attorneys. that they’re not going to have gotten proper notice. ” said Vanessa Dojaquez-Torres. practicing policy counsel at AILA. She added that courts often lack enough seats for hearings with so many people at once. arguing the setup can be “almost like they are being designed to increase” how many people get deportation orders automatically.
The Executive Office for Immigration Review, the agency that runs the immigration courts at the Justice Department, did not respond to a request for comment.
The “mega master” approach appears to have started in the Chicago, Boston and Chelmsford, Mass., immigration courts. Lawyers said it is soon to begin in the Dallas Immigration Court.
Those bundles also have a built-in time pressure. Attorneys said the mega masters are composed of people whose original hearings were scheduled for 2027, 2028 or 2029.
As one Texas-based immigration attorney put it. describing what the courts seem to be planning: “They’re anticipating that the majority will not show up and they’ll just be able to say that they completed X number of cases because they’ll be in absentia orders of removal.” The attorney spoke to NPR on the condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisals for their ability to practice in Texas courts.
The attorney also warned that if people do arrive for the massive hearings. the volume could overwhelm court staff and judges and overcrowd courtrooms. Other lawyers said some immigrants might still benefit if scheduling moves sooner. even if it increases pressure and creates sudden legal filing deadlines. Still. most people in immigration court do not have a lawyer. and attorneys said they are unlikely to see those benefits.
The stakes hinge on notice and attendance. When someone does not appear for their scheduled hearing—even by mistake—a judge can issue an official removal order. That order allows immigration officers to detain and deport the person. Attorneys described a pattern they say is becoming more common under this Trump administration. where an NPR analysis found last year that fewer people are showing up in court for fear of being detained.
Dojaquez-Torres and other attorneys who spoke to NPR worry that immigrants. particularly those without a lawyer. may not know their hearing dates had been rescheduled for a sooner date. She said little to no notice may be issued by the government by mail or electronically to immigrants or their lawyers. meaning people who are not regularly checking online accounts could miss changes.
The mega-masters tactic is unfolding as President Trump seeks to deport a million people a year—far higher than the 600. 000 people the administration deported in 2025. Trump has also complained about backlogs of millions of cases inside immigration courts. arguing courts are an obstacle to rapid deportation.
It is not the first time the Justice Department has moved to streamline proceedings during President Trump’s second term. EOIR has also prioritized cases involving people from specific nationalities. including Somalis. Syrians and Iranians. and lawyers said cases involving juvenile immigrants are being pushed up.
This push is happening as the Department of Justice begins staffing up to handle more cases. The Justice Department announced its largest-ever class of new immigration judges last week. onboarding 77 judges and 5 temporary military lawyers serving as judges. The agency has boasted hiring 153 immigration judges this fiscal year, the most in any year.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement: “The Trump administration is committed to reestablishing an immigration judge corps that is dedicated to restoring the rule to the law in our nation’s immigration system.”
But the rapid hiring arrives after EOIR lost about a quarter of its immigration judges last year, with more than 100 of them fired. Even as more judges were onboarded last week, several more were fired the same day, including in courts in New York and California.
An NPR analysis last year found that judges with backgrounds in representing immigrant clients were more likely to be fired compared to those who only had prior experience working at the Department of Homeland Security.
U.S. immigration courts EOIR Justice Department mega masters deportation in absentia removal orders master calendar hearings Vanessa Dojaquez-Torres American Immigration Lawyers Association Todd Blanche immigration judges