Immigration Courts Ramp Up 'Mega' Hearings as Deportation Orders Surge

Immigration courts across the country are moving at an unprecedented pace, and the consequences are showing up in the numbers. According to data compiled by the nonprofit Mobile Pathways, judges are now holding far more "mega" master hearings, dockets exceeding 50 cases in a single session, with more than 1,300 such hearings recorded in June alone, nearly triple the total from a year earlier.

At the same time, the lead time immigrants receive to prepare for their hearings has fallen sharply, often shrinking from roughly six months to just over a month. That compressed timeline appears to be driving a steep rise in missed court dates: the national no-show rate has doubled, from about 20% at the start of 2025 to roughly 40% by this June.

Because a missed hearing typically results in an in-absentia deportation order and an abandoned asylum claim, removal orders have climbed accordingly, from about 33,000 in January 2025 to nearly 79,000 this past June. Advocates for immigrants warn that valid claims are being closed before they can be heard, while supporters of the faster pace argue it is a necessary correction for a court system overwhelmed by years of backlog.

Source: Valerie Gonzalez and Cybele Mayes-Osterman, Associated Press, via ABC News, "Breakneck pace in immigration courts is driving up deportation orders."