Despite Huge Backlogs, The Government Shutdown Halts Most Immigration Court Hearings

The federal government shutdown — caused in part by disagreements over immigration policy — is delaying immigration court hearings across the country. Court appointments scheduled during the shutdown will be "reset" to new dates in the future, per a notice from the Department of Justice dated Dec. 26. The only exception are courts operating in immigration detention centers, where federal immigration authorities hold immigrants pending deportation. However, court staff may not be paid while continuing to hear those cases.In addition, some emergency motions in nondetained cases can still be filed to the judges that are working during the shutdown.Shutting down the country's massive system of immigration courts will gum up an already congested judicial process, immigration judges and attorneys say.