Observing Hearings in Immigration Court

A training for attorneys new to immigration law and interested in observing Immigration Court hearings, including a brief overview of asylum and procedures, immigration court proceedings, rules of and candor to the court, and observing particularly to help ensure the due process rights of asylum seekers are not violated. Prior to 2025, ICE followed a long-standing policy of respecting the bounds of the immigration court, conducting civil immigration arrests at immigration courts only in limited circumstances. This changed in 2025 when the current Administration revoked the existing guidance regarding civil immigration enforcement priorities, and in May 2025 began arresting asylum seekers who arrived at the immigration court to appear for their hearings. The AOD Program’s court observation project was initiated whereby court observers played a large role in tracking and reporting arrests at the immigration court and documenting ICE practices. As a result of information gathered by court observers, a Northern District Court judge has ordered ICE to stop the practice of arresting asylum seekers at the immigration court. This training will provide detailed guidance on how to become an effective court observer and help ensure compliance with court orders around courthouse arrest and document other ICE practices that could be the grounds for future litigation.

Topics

• An intro to asylum in the U.S. and U.S. border procedures
• The immigration court process
• Proper candor to the court, courtroom observation and support 
• Observing hearings at EOIR San Francisco
• Reporting observations for data gathering and litigation purposes