Chicago Immigration Court Sees Sharp Rise in Removal Orders Amid Large-Scale Hearings

More people received removal orders from Chicago’s immigration court last month than anywhere else in the country, according to court watchers and data tracked by BKLG.org. The increase coincides with the emergence of what advocates and observers describe as “Mega Master” hearings, in which large numbers of people are scheduled to appear at the same time.

Thursday morning, 125 people were summoned to a single courtroom.

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“Sometimes it’s over 100 people. We’ve seen an instance when there were over 200 people on the list,” said Katie Curtin of the Illinois Coalition of Immigrant and Refugee Rights.

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According to BKLG.org, 6,012 people in Chicago were ordered removed in absentia during June, more than in any other city in the country. The figure compares with 1,267 such orders in February.

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