FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 11, 2026
CONTACT: press@acaciajustice.org
WASHINGTON—The Acacia Center for Justice expresses grave concern over the growing use of “mega master” calendar hearings in immigration courts across the country, joining a chorus of advocates sounding the alarm on these mass proceedings as the latest effort to erode due process protections in an immigration system increasingly defined by speed over fairness and dignity.
Immigration proceedings carry deeply human consequences because each represents a lifetime. Yet these mass hearings rely on assembly-line standardized processing on truncated timelines that deprive people of a meaningful opportunity to understand and exercise their rights.
Acacia is particularly alarmed by this practice on the children’s docket. Unaccompanied children often have survived trafficking, trauma, persecution, abuse, and exploitation. Children’s proceedings require child-sensitive, trauma-informed safeguards to ensure children understand the process affecting their futures.
These developments did not emerge in isolation. They emerge in the wake of the government’s termination of vital legal orientation programs (LOP) like the Immigration Court Helpdesk and LOP for custodians of unaccompanied children last year, and amid broader efforts to accelerate deportation and render meaningful opportunities for relief near impossible to access. While the immigration court backlog is a longstanding challenge that demands thoughtful solutions, sacrificing due process is not the answer.
The consequences are severe. In absentia removal orders take effect immediately, exposing children and families to rapid deportation, lengthy bars to lawful status, and crippling financial penalties. For many, reopening these cases is far too costly and complex to pursue, especially without counsel.
“Children and families deserve to have their day in court, not be rapidly ushered into an assembly line to deportation. These mega master hearings forego due process under the farce of efficiency, forcing people to navigate life-altering proceedings without an individualized determination and with little or no notice, limited understanding, and often without legal representation. A court system that prioritizes thoughtlessly churning out deportation over fairness and child wellbeing is not delivering justice.” — Shaina Aber, Executive Director, Acacia Center for Justice
Acacia remains committed to ensuring that every person navigating the immigration has access to the legal information, representation, and procedural protections necessary to meaningfully exercise their rights. We call on Congress to conduct meaningful oversight of policies that undermine the integrity of our immigration courts. We invite community members to get trained to observe courtrooms in real time with Acacia’s Witness for Justice program.
Every child, every family, and every human deserves to be afforded the due process our laws promise, not processed through a system where human rights are treated as an obstacle to efficiency.
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Acacia Center for Justice expands meaningful access to justice and freedom for immigrants at risk of detention or deportation in partnership with an accountable and independent national network of immigrant legal service providers and community partners. Acacia Center for Justice’s reach and impact are unparalleled. The national nonprofit currently operates publicly funded programs and responsive collaborations through a network of over 130 legal service providers nationwide.
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