NEW IMMIGRATION COURTS TO BE ESTABLISHED IN CHARLOTTE, OMAHA, KANSAS CITY

FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2007
(703) 305-0289

WWW.USDOJ.GOV/EOIR

FALLS CHURCH, Va. – The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) plans to establish new immigration courts in Charlotte, N.C.; Omaha, Neb.; and Kansas City, Mo., by late 2007. These cities were selected to address growing immigration caseloads, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales announced today.

“The establishment of these new courts, in conjunction with the implementation of the reforms I have proposed, will help address the growing number of cases before our nation’s immigration judges and improve the process for all involved,” said Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales.

The courts handle a number of immigration proceedings, but removal proceedings account for about 80 percent of their caseload. Currently in the early planning stages, EOIR has asked the General Services Administration to procure space for the new courts. EOIR currently has 54 immigration courts nationwide and approximately 220 immigration judges.

EOIR is responsible for adjudicating immigration cases. The office consists of three components: the Office of the Chief Immigration Judge, which is responsible for managing the numerous immigration courts located throughout the United States where immigration judges adjudicate individual cases; the Board of Immigration Appeals, which primarily conducts appellate reviews of immigration judge decisions; and the Office of the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer, which adjudicates immigration-related employment cases. EOIR is committed to providing the fair, expeditious and uniform application of the nation’s immigration laws in all cases. Information about EOIR immigration proceedings is available on EOIR’s Web site at http://www.usdoj.gov/eoir/press/subject.htm.