Inside the Kansas City Immigration Court on Grand Boulevard, two sisters have spent months quietly counting things most people never think to count: how many hearings run late, how many respondents show up without a lawyer, how many times a translator simply isn't available for the language someone speaks. Maureen Hosty and Janet Schlake volunteer as court watchers, part of a growing corps of trained observers trying to bring public scrutiny to a courtroom system that decides deportation cases for people across two states.
Hosty designed the note-taking and data collection system that volunteers use to log what they see, and she had trained 122 people to use it since last November, according to reporting from the Kansas City Star. She previously worked as a college readiness advisor and university professor. Her sister, Schlake, spent 10 years as a teacher in Kansas City, Kansas, before turning her attention to the courthouse, where she now shows up at least one day a week to record proceedings and outcomes.
Schlake volunteers with Advocates for Immigration Rights and Reconciliation, a nonprofit that provides resources for immigrant communities throughout the Kansas City metro. She reports her findings to area immigration advocates, and she has told the Star that court watching is emotionally difficult but that she keeps coming back anyway. The group's court watchers covered 234 immigration hearings in June and 390 in July, according to an AIRR report cited by the Star. In all, at least 31 volunteers have monitored the court for a minimum of one day.
A Court Buried Under Tens of Thousands of Cases
The Kansas City Immigration Court, operated by the U.S. Department of Justice, handles cases for both Kansas and Missouri. It currently carries more than 49,000 backlogged cases, and local advocates have raised concerns about how long that backlog will persist. Nationally, immigration courts also handle pending cases, with judges issuing removal or voluntary departure orders in completed cases.
Local immigration attorneys have raised concerns about the court's capacity to manage paperwork and filings. Immigration proceedings can carry serious stakes even though they are technically civil rather than criminal. Kansas City advocates have also raised concerns about the court's resources, including its clerks, translators and judges.
The court's staffing has drawn scrutiny as its caseload grows. The Department of Justice has appointed judges to the bench this year, and the court continues to process cases while seeking timely completion. The court tries to keep judges overseeing cases at any given time.
Inside the 'Mega Master' Hearings
Hearings in immigration courts have drawn increased scrutiny. In Kansas City, federal judges heard respondents across hearings in July, per court watchers, and the court conducted group hearings involving multiple people over the summer.
In these sessions, judges explain the process, and interpreters are provided for respondents who need them. The court handles many cases involving people from Spanish-speaking countries, including Mexico and Guatemala. Self-represented people may need help navigating the process, and hearing schedules can give respondents limited time to prepare.
The court's scheduling practices can add confusion for people trying to track their own cases. During the hearings themselves, respondents are asked about their options. Immigration judges can also set expedited timelines for applications for relief.
Long Odds for Asylum Seekers
Federal law gives people in immigration court the right to an attorney, but only at their own expense — there is no court-appointed counsel in these civil proceedings. Nationwide, some noncitizens ordered removed have legal counsel at the time of their deportation order. Some participants in immigration hearings lack attorneys.
The stakes of going without a lawyer appear especially steep in Kansas City. Judges at the local court denied 95% of asylum applications brought before them in fiscal year 2026, the outlet reported. Immigration judges there rule on whether people can receive asylum, and new federal guidelines have made it harder for people to establish a right to stay in the United States in the first place. The federal government is terminating a Biden-era humanitarian parole program.
Federal Officials Defend the Process
The Department of Justice has said it is restoring integrity to the immigration system by hearing cases fairly, expeditiously and uniformly in accordance with the law, and the agency prioritizes reducing court backlogs nationwide. The process includes scheduling adjustments and efforts to complete cases in a timely manner.
The Department of Homeland Security has separately maintained that immigration court processes are fair. Immigration authorities are detaining more people overall.
As of 5 p.m. Monday, the Kansas City Immigration Court had not answered questions from Star reporters about the resource limitations court watchers have identified. Hosty has said court watching brings transparency to the process and helps respondents know they are not navigating it alone — a role that has taken on new weight as Kansas City's immigration enforcement intensifies and new docket practices draw attention at the courthouse.
