ICE arrests hit record highs in June, driven by a sharp acceleration in immigration court proceedings. Judges are using mass hearings and issuing removal orders in absentia at unprecedented rates, with over 100,000 cases closed in June alone.
Mass hearings overwhelm courts
In Chicago, a single judge oversaw 185 fast-tracked cases in one sitting, compared to the typical 20. From March to June, Chicago judges' deportation orders surged by 120%. Nationwide, more than 78% of completed cases in June ended in removal orders in absentia, where immigrants failed to appear.
Many immigrants claim they never received notices of rescheduled hearings, often moved to dates months or years earlier. Fear of arrest at courthouses also deters attendance, with up to 611 people summoned to Chicago court at once.
Mega-masters drive in absentia orders
Master calendar hearings, once for administrative tasks, have become perilous. Since May, "mega-masters" with 70 to 150 cases have ballooned, resulting in over 20,000 in absentia orders in June alone—nearly two-fifths of all such orders nationwide.
In Kansas City, a judge with 93 cases given 15 days notice issued 56 absentia orders, while 96 cases with 196 days notice yielded only nine. Fast timelines disproportionately harm immigrants.
Due process eroded
Only 1,883 cases (under 2%) ended with relief granted. Immigrants with absentia orders lose the chance to argue asylum or protections. Reopening cases is complex and requires legal representation, which only one in five had at deportation. These removal orders make immigrants vulnerable to deportation from routine stops, fueling the rise in ICE arrests.
This erosion of due process, while less visible than street arrests, has the same consequences: more detentions and fewer achieving justice.
