I have just been told there are only 3 Immigration judges in the country.

[dixiegrrrrl]

A long time friend, professional, e-mailed just now, her grand-daughter's boyfriend is
an immigrant, found to be illegal.
Friend discusses the case and mentions the reason for an enormous immigration case backlog is that there are only 3 immigration judges in the country, one on each coast and one in Omaha.

Has anyone heard differently? My friend is very exact in any information, not at all prone to stating rumors.

[SmileyRose]

1. UPDATED found list of all immigration judges by state

http://www.usdoj.gov/eoir/sibpages/ICadr.htm

[DarthDem]

2. Uh . . . Omaha?

I'm going to take this seriously . . . .

The EOIR (Executive Office for Immigration Review) has about 175-200 judges in immigration courts across the country. The judges are located in courts in various states; however, there is no immigration court in Nebraska, a landlocked state that borders no foreign countries and is assuredly not a hotbed for immigrants.

[dixiegrrrrl]

3. Lemme get back to her and see where this is coming from...

[dixiegrrrrl]

4. Smiley, I sent the list to my friend and

she got back to me, said thanks, she is now wondering if somebody has mis-directed her, so is asking the lawyer on the case to follow up and find out what is what.

thanks...

[kaiden]

5. There are four judges in Denver. The backlog is humongous.

We're representing an Eritrean immigrant -- at his initial hearing the first of July, we were told he wouldn't be able to have his asylum hearing until August 2009 -- and the judge said, "You can thank Homeland Security for that." One of the requirements for an asylum hearing is that the asylum seeker get "biometrics" (fingerprints) done. Now, the attorney I work with is an ex-cop and he says to the judge, "Well, I'll just take John to a police station and have the cops take his fingerprints." "Oh no," the judge says, "Homeland Security is in charge of that and they're four months out."

Now you and I and everyone else know that Homeland Security has been privatized and the taxpayers are paying a private company to dick around taking fingerprints . . .

There is a main ICE office in Omaha (I have to copy everything to the office there) -- but I'm not sure how much sway that office has on the immigration judges in Denver.

One of the ridiculous experiences: When we signed in to the court, we had to turn over our drivers' licenses so we could get a "vistor" tag. Our client, John, had no driver's license (uh, he's illegal), so we had to wait for a security guard to come fetch us. While we were waiting, other asylum seekers (illegals all) handed over their drivers' licenses.

Some day, I'll write a book.

[dixiegrrrrl]

7. Thank you Kaiden !

Yes, do write a book...keep lots of notes.

" There are many stories in Bushworld...this is one of them"

Look what David Simon did with his notes...made a great series called Homicide, Life on the Street, I loved it.

Back to your message...if you don't mind, I will copy and send to my friend, she is a bit too trusting of "the system".

DU is sooo helpful.....:)

[kaiden]

8. Thanks, dixiegrrrrl. Just make sure your friend documents

everything.

The Homeland Security attorney, we discovered, is merely a paper pusher; she could no more practice real law (it's been years since she's had to study the law or write a brief) -- but she holds John's life in her hands.

In real life, opposing sides in a lawsuit must reveal what information they might have through discovery; ICE has no such compunction -- we will always have to go up against an unknown foe with undiscoverable information. Now, we know for a fact that our client walked two years across Africa and South America to get to America (where he was picked up crossing the border into Texas) -- but there is no way we can find out (or the Homeland Security attorney reveal to us) what damaging information the Government may have found (or invented) against John to keep him from staying in the country.

We know, for instance, that John can't be sent back to Eritrea because he's a military deserter. He would be executed if returned to his country. Could he be sent to Libya and then extradited to Eritrea? As Sarah Palin says, "You betcha." That would not matter to the Homeland Security attorney who, I'm sure, gets paid on the "quota" system -- how many folks did she deport this month?

One positive: no matter where an asylum seeker lives, there are attorneys who will represent the asylum seeker pro bono. If there is a survivors center in the area where your friend lives or if there is a legal aide office in the town, please have your friend make an appointment.

Good luck to you and your friend and keep me apprised -- if there's anything I can do, let me know.

[Captiosus]

6. Only 3 in the country? Maybe if this is Lou Dobbs' America.

Because he'd only need 3 since he'd close off all our borders, ship anyone back and shoot anyone caught trying to come over.

Thank Gawd this isn't Lou Dobbs' America.
There's tons more than 3, as others have pointed out.