A local immigrant rights group is claiming that hundreds of people have been “removed in absentia" after failing to show up at a San Francisco immigration court last week.
Mission Local reported that as many as 500 people may have received removal orders. That means they won’t be able to apply for legal status for at least 10 years. That’s according to the Immigrant Legal Defense Program at the San Francisco Bar Association.They told Mission Local that no-shows at immigration courts have increased in recent months. This follows a number of highly-publicized arrests by ICE agents in court rooms.
San Francisco’s immigration court has been hit especially hard by the Trump administration, which has dismissed all but four of 21 judges. The administration is ending its lease at its courtroom at 100 Montgomery Street and moving its workload to Concord.
Critics say these moves have increased caseloads on the remaining judges and pushed back court dates for asylum seekers by years.
