Circuit Court of Appeals because her lawyer confused the deadline. The evidence indicates this is a case of criminal extortion that the respondent attempts to fashion into an imputed political opinion claim., Gutierrez said Ana told her in one of their occasional phone conversations that she felt intimidated by the intense questioning of the ICE attorney. How do I know this? Hon. Taken together, the two cases nearly indistinguishable in their outlines but with opposite outcomes illustrate a troubling fact:An immigrants chance of being allowed to stay in the United States depends largely on who hears the case and where it is heard. She is known for her compassion and fairmindedness. As the sole breadwinner in his family, he said his wife and kids would suffer emotionally and financially if he were deported. Well-established law recognizes family as a protected social group, according to the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies. She remains active today as president emerita. To then have to stand by as a judge, a member of the same government these clients are seeking protection from, belittles and demonizes their every word, treats them as though they have no dignity, and fails to acknowledge their humanity, its too much. While unfair and antagonistic judges are nothing new to immigrants, Fords misconduct is part of a larger, documented effort by the Trump administration to politicize immigration courts and encourage biased decisions. The lack of a transparent complaint process is especially concerninggiven this influx of new judges, who tend to come from enforcement backgrounds and lack experience on the bench, Nemecek said. Senators Announce GAO Investigation of the Politicization and Mismanagement of Immigration Courts - September 14, 2020; Take Action. In 2018, after then-attorney general Jeff Sessions announced new restrictions on asylum cases, there was a mass exodus of immigration judges. El Paso federal immigration judges denied 85.4% of asylum claims in fiscal year 2020. Devin OMalley, a Department of Justice spokesman, challenged the Reuters analysis, citing "numerous conflicting statements, miscalculations, and other data errors," but declined to elaborate further. The other woman, Ana, joined her daughters father in the southeastern United States, andher case was assigned to an immigration court in Charlotte, North Carolina. I want to stay because of my kids, said Juan, who recently bought a new house for his family. Through her lawyers, she asked that her full name not be used because of her uncertain status and her fear that Honduran gangs could find her. It was June 11, 2018, and then-attorney general Jeff Sessions, her boss . The asylum appeal process is equally politicized, the group says. At the end of her asylum hearing in September 2016, she received a one-page form, with an X in the box next to granted. She was free to settle into life with her family in the United States. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday blasted its immigration. I opened the first file, and there was a picture of the first respondent, probably less than a year old. Of the 28 immigration judges Sessions has appointed so far, 16 are former ICE prosecutors. I was the first to do the Families with Children Docket, which became known as rocket docket, Judge King recalls. She was always there for me, emotionally and intellectually.. Stephen M. Ruhle approved the highest number of petitions (44) but still found wanting 76.8% of the petitions he ruled on. Riley and Owens have. Unaware of each others plight, both fled with their children, making the dangerous trek across Mexico. Immigration attorneys and their clients are not the only ones who said they are distrustful of the judicial complaint process. Of course, other factors influence outcomes in immigration court. They had confidence in her that she was doing everything she could for them. She demonstrated this on a national level in October of 1986 when Judge Marks (along with Bill O. Hing, Susan Lydon, and Kip Steinberg) argued on behalf of Luz Marina Cardoza-Fonseca before the US Supreme Court (INS v. Cardoza-Fonesca). Reuters Investigates offers several ways to securely contact our reporters, Before, no one wanted to say anything about the gangs, Gutierrez said. By MICA ROSENBERG, READE LEVINSON and RYAN McNEILL. Hon. They were elected in 2013 to the board of the parent-teacher association at their children's school in the Honduran capital, Tegucigalpa. Four of the 31 new immigration judges are assistant chief immigration judges who will oversee six immigration courts. The case is currently in the appeal process. In a 2016 report, the GAO found that little had changed. Those appointed under Trump had ordered. They had early success, he said, when they persuaded police to provide officers to guard the school. Judge Fords dehumanizing treatment of those who appear in his courtroom is unacceptable, said Lisa Knox, Legal Director for the California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice. Two rival gangs the Barrio 18 and the Mara Salvatrucha, also known as MS-13 were operating brazenly in the neighborhood. She was always kind and patient with people who came before her. McFarland residents vow to keep organizing after court lets GEO expand immigration detention, look to incoming administration for support, After about 5 minutes of struggle, they forced my index finger on the paper: ICE Forcing More Asylum Seekers to Sign Deportation Paperwork as Another Deportation Flight to Cameroon Looms. Knowing that providing legal advice to asylum seekers can make a difference, one El Paso nonprofit applied for and got two private grants to provide these services. You felt you had a fair shot, says Milli Atkinson, Director of the Immigrant Legal Defense Program at JDC and Legal Director of the SFIL Defense Collaborative, who appeared before her as an attorney. Two of them grabbed Ana and her daughter, pinned their wrists behind their backs, and pointed a gun at the childs head. She explains things well. It then created a system for the public to file complaints against immigration judges. The rules of evidence are [only] a guide, theres no pretrial discovery, she says. Judge Olivia Cassin in New York City allows immigrants to remain in the country in 93 percent of cases she hears. She was very vocal as head of NAIJ, says Atkinson, especially [on issues] related to fairness and due process. Judge Webber appreciated Judge Markss talents as a spokesperson for the union, remarking on her great voice and quick thinking. In New York City, 24 percent do. In 2020, of the 30,173 individuals from the Northern Triangle that received a decision on asylum claims 27,020 were denied. Its just that she forgets things.. By the time she retired from San Francisco's Immigration Court on December 31, 2021, Judge Dana Leigh Marks* had built an inspiring reputation as a leader, mentor, and advocate. Individuals can sign up for a court watch training at bit.ly/courtwatch1. Lack of legal counsel handicaps asylum seekers, but judges also biased against migrants of color, advocates say. In Atlanta, 89 percent of cases result in a deportation order. In Charlotte, immigrants are ordered deported in 84 percent of cases, more than twice the rate in San Francisco, where 36 percent of cases end in deportation. He was invested on November 6 and will begin hearing cases this month. Two months later, according to court documents, Ana was walking her 7-year-old daughter home from school when three members of a rival gang confronted them. She made it more proactive, trying to affect the law. We discussed cases together. In addition to helping her colleagues with the analysis of cases, Judge Marks was available for emotional support. . Ana missed the deadline to appeal the BIA decision to the 4th U.S. That statement is misogynistic and very shocking to me.. These are people were dealing with, says Judge Stockton, people who are nervous, if not terrified, and Judge Marks has a gift for helping them feel more at ease in the courtroom. Country of origin is a big factor in determining who gets to stay in the United States because immigrants from some countries are afforded special protections. I love the Wild West aspect of it., National Association of Immigration Judges. Constanza Hevia H. / Special to The Chronicle 2020 Judge Lerner earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1999 from Columbia University and a Juris Doctorate in 2002 from Columbia University School of Law. It has also been politically charged, as immigration courts fall under the jurisdiction of the, US Department of Justice (DOJ), Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), . Riley and Owens havedenied 89% and 96% asylum cases they were in charge of, respectively, since their appointment a few years ago. Shes funny and insightful, she says. It is clearly troubling when you have these kinds of gross disparities, said Karen Musalo, director of the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies at the University of California Hastings School of the Law in San Francisco. Its not consistent because a complaint usually starts out with the persons immediate supervisor being told, Marks said. Immigration Judge Emily N. Farrar-Crockett began hearing cases at the Falls Church Adjudication Center in October 2018. Pasadena, California . They hoped that mothers working together could oust the violent gangs that plagued the campus. I have nothing in Mexico. The Charlotte court that would hear Anas case was one of five jurisdictions labeled asylum free zones by a group of immigrant advocates in written testimony last Decemberbefore the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Couch is the toughest of Charlottes three immigration judges, according to the Reuters analysis. The bill, if approved by the Senate, will transition the nations immigration court system into an independent judiciary consistent with Article I of the U.S. Constitution. Says Judge Marks, Thisquickly became my long-term goal outside of judging., When that does happen, it certainly will be part of her legacy, but just one part of a stellar career. From 2012 to 2016, EOIR received 624 complaints against judges.The 138 complaints lodged in 2016 alone included allegations of bias, as well as concerns about due process and judges conduct within the courtroom. She first interviewed Judge Marks, then-president of NAIJ, for, Understanding the Crisis in Our Immigration Courts, Legal Alliance for Reproductive Rights (LARR), SF-Marin Lawyer Referral and Information Service. Three percentconcluded with retirement, resignation or termination, and none gave rise to other disciplinary actions like reprimand or suspension. Dana Marks, president of the National Association of Immigration Judges, said each case is like a 1,000 piece puzzle. While two cases might look identical on the surface, she said, each judge has to weigh the nuances of immigration law to allow someone to stay in the country, which could lead to different outcomes. The 43-year-old father of three from Mexico,who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, had already gone through three hours-long hearings for his application to obtain permanent residency. ICE has not released their estimate of how many cases would be cleared under this plan. She quickly discarded that notion. The next year, researchers at Temple University and Georgetown Law School concluded in a study titled Refugee Roulettethat in many cases, the most important moment in an asylum case is the instant in which a clerk randomly assigns an application to a particular asylum officer or immigration judge. In 2008, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) found similar disparitiesin its own study. Circuit Court of Appeals, and they rule in favor of immigrants far more often than courts in the 4th Circuit, which includes North and South Carolina, Maryland and Virginia, Reuters found. As a result, credibility is really the key factor. In May2021, the Ohio chapter of theAmerican Immigration Lawyers Association submitted a group complaint against Riley to the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), an agency within the Department of Justice that oversees immigration courts. It occurred to me I had a meeting, Ungar says, So I asked, Would you mind if we continued this? They walked to Market Street, where they hopped on the #5 bus to the Federal Courthouse. Persecutors dont give affidavits, said Andrew Arthur, a former immigration judge who now works at the Center for Immigration Studies, a nonprofit organization that supports lower levels of immigration. Shuting Chen was appointed as an Immigration Judge to begin hearing cases in October 2022. Phone number. About the Immigration Judge. San Francisco immigration judge begs officials to close her courtroom over coronavirus. She is now awaiting a court date after new lawyers got her case reopened. She was very vocal as head of NAIJ, says Atkinson, especially [on issues] related to fairness and due process. Judge Webber appreciated Judge Markss talents as a spokesperson for the union, remarking on her great voice and quick thinking. The Trump administration filled the openings and expanded the size of the bench,appointing 10 judges who currently make up the court. On December 18, 2020, the EOIR announced the investiture of an additional 14 immigration judges. ; On June 24, 2020 we collaborated with NLG-Los Angeles, National Immigration Project of the NLG, and the NLG National Office to provide a CLE on 'Fighting for the Release of Detained . You really get those Perry Mason moments in immigration court. The analysis excluded immigrants who were in detention when their cases were heard because such cases are handleddifferently. The top ten percent of employees in the Executive Office for . Threatened by gangs in Honduras, two women sought asylum in the United States. Very vocal as head of NAIJ, says Atkinson, especially [ on immigration judge san francisco rating 2020 ] related to and!, Marks said on the # 5 bus to the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies former ICE.... 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