Friday, May 4th 2018, 9:00am-10:30am
Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP
801 17th Street NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20006
Description
The primary mission of the U.S. immigration court system is to adjudicate immigration cases fairly, expeditiously and uniformly consistent with the nation’s immigration laws. Despite this crucial mission, the immigration court system has been plagued by underfunding and an extreme backlog for years, many calling it a system in “crisis.” In response, the Executive Office for Immigration Review recently established new case priorities and court performance measures meant to address the current backlog that is estimated at over 650,000 cases. Cases will now be subject to time completion goals, including 60 days for detained removal cases and 365 days for nondetained removal cases. As the agency implements these new priorities and procedures, how do we maintain the integrity of a system where only 37% of respondents are represented overall and tens of thousands are held in detention each day? How should the agency address the hundreds of thousands of unaccompanied children and families seeking protection at our southwest border? How has the expansion of administrative removal proceedings impacted the immigration court system? What are our obligations under U.S. law and international treaties? How do we as a nation strike the balance between efficiency and due process while maintaining a system that adjudicates cases in a timely and fair manner? At this Roundtable session, these and other questions will be discussed by judges, government officials and advocates working to maintain and improve this vital system.
Speakers
- (Ret.) Immigration Judge Paul Schmidt, Adjunct Professor of Law, Georgetown University Law Center
- Heidi Altman, Policy Director, National Immigrant Justice Center
- James R. McHenry, Director, Executive Office for Immigration Review
- Judge Denise Slavin, President Emeritus, National Association of Immigration Judges
- Karen Grisez, Special Advisor to the ABA Commission on Immigration; Public Service Counsel, Fried Frank LLP (Moderator)