More than 450 people were ordered to show up at the New Orleans immigration court during the week of June 1, packed into mass “mega master” master-calendar hearings that turned into a rapid conveyor belt of deportation orders and tense scenes in the building.
Over a two day stretch, judges issued roughly 40 in absentia removal orders and about 33 additional removal orders, according to attorneys and observers. Many people arrived without lawyers, and some say they never received clear notice that their court dates had been moved.
Outside the immigration court at One Canal Place, local court watchers reported long lines, confusion over where to go, and families who had traveled long distances just to make it inside, according to NOLA.com. New Orleans immigration attorney Homero López told the outlet the mass calendarings were “a sham meant to deter immigrants from presenting claims.”
How the mega masters work
Immigration courts across the country have started consolidating master-calendar hearings so that 100 or more people are scheduled in a single session. Critics call these sessions “mega masters” and argue they are structured to speed deportations by making it more likely that someone will miss a hearing.
As reported by KQED (a republication of NPR reporting), advocates say some courts have yanked cases originally set for 2027 through 2029 into much earlier mass hearings. That sudden shift creates new filing deadlines and crams courtrooms, hitting people without lawyers the hardest.
DOJ response and judge hiring
The Justice Department and the Executive Office for Immigration Review say the aggressive scheduling is part of a push to whittle down a massive backlog, and that courts will make “scheduling adjustments” as more judges come on line. In a statement to ABC News, EOIR said it would keep reshuffling calendars “to ensure all cases are handled in a timely and lawful manner” while it brings new adjudicators aboard.
The Department of Justice has said it swore in 77 immigration judges in May, the largest single investiture class in EOIR history, and that it has hired 153 permanent immigration judges so far this fiscal year. Department of Justice records show the agency is staffing up rapidly.
Community and legal-group response
Advocates say the mega master model is a blunt instrument designed to churn out deportation orders in bulk rather than provide genuine hearings. The National Immigration Project blasted the approach as a “mass deportation scheme disguised as court process” and warned that rushed paperwork and consolidated dockets can “fundamentally alter or accelerate” removal proceedings.
People who tried to observe the New Orleans sessions reported that space in the courtrooms was limited, while supporters rallied outside the One Canal Place building. In its statement, National Immigration Project urged anyone who receives a notice that their hearing has been rescheduled into a mega master session to seek legal help immediately.
Legal stakes
Under immigration law, a judge can order someone removed in absentia if the government proves that written notice was properly given and the person still fails to appear. The avenues to undo those decisions are narrow. Motions to reopen in absentia orders are tightly limited and usually turn on “exceptional circumstances” or a lack of proper notice.
The Executive Office for Immigration Review details those rules in its public guidance and practice manual, spelling out how a missed hearing can quickly become a final deportation order. EOIR guidance also highlights the short timelines and heavy burdens for anyone trying to reopen a case after an in absentia order has been entered.
What happens next will carry weight in New Orleans and far beyond. Local lawyers are closely tracking dockets for signs that mass calendarings will continue and are urging clients to double check their addresses and their representation status in court records. Court watch groups plan to keep monitoring sessions, and civil rights advocates say the coming weeks will reveal whether mega masters are a one time scheduling surge or the beginning of a broader, sustained shift in how deportation dockets are handled.
