LULAC Opposes Trump's Efforts to Curtail Fairness and Independence of Immigration Courts

October 13, 2017

Washington, DC – On Thursday, reports surfaced that the Trump Administration is taking steps to enforce new case completion quotas on federal immigration judges as part of their performance evaluations. These measures threaten the independence of the immigration court system and are an effort to expedite deportations. The Justice Department and the judge’s union are still in negotiations.

In response, LULAC National President, Roger C. Rocha Jr., issued the following statement:

“The Justice Department’s proposed quotas threaten the integrity of our country’s immigration court system. These measures impose stringent deadlines on judges to evaluate and complete cases, cutting down the necessary time needed to make well thought-out rulings. It threatens judicial independence and compromises a person’s fundamental right to due process. Defendants already face a large number of disadvantages in immigration courts, including language barriers. They deserve the necessary time to prepare for their case, secure a defense lawyer, and have their stories heard. We urge the Administration to refrain from imposing these new numeric case completion quotas. They do not help improve our immigration court system and only hinder an immigration judge’s ability to do his or her job.”

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The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the nation’s largest and oldest civil rights volunteer-based organization that empowers Hispanic Americans and builds strong Latino communities. Headquartered in Washington, DC, with 1,000 councils around the United States and Puerto Rico, LULAC’s programs, services and advocacy address the most important issues for Latinos, meeting critical needs of today and the future. For more information, visit www.LULAC.org.