Immigration Judges Ordered to Speed Deportation Cases for Unaccompanied Minors

Immigration judges in New York City now complete removal hearings for unaccompanied minors in minutes rather than granting continuances for pending applications. One judge ordered twelve teenagers deported in less than an hour during an April hearing conducted by video from an empty courtroom at 26 Federal Plaza.

The Department of Justice has directed judges to treat applications for special immigrant juvenile status and asylum as secondary to the question of removal.

Roughly two hundred immigration judges, about a quarter of the national total, have been removed or resigned since the start of the second Trump term. Court staff reported that judges who previously granted adjournments for minors now move cases without delay.

The Department of Justice stated that it prioritizes timely completion of all cases, including those involving unaccompanied minors. A spokesperson said delays harm both applicants with valid claims and the public interest in prompt removal of those without valid claims.

Special immigrant juvenile status requires a state court finding of parental abuse, neglect, or abandonment, followed by federal approval and a visa application. Congress created the category in 1990; approvals rose from 73 in fiscal year 2005 to more than 3,000 in fiscal year 2013.

By early 2023 the backlog exceeded 100,000 applicants. The previous administration allowed work permits while applicants waited. Under current policy, judges no longer routinely pause removal proceedings for these pending applications. The number of unaccompanied minors in the United States has fallen from about 7,000 in late 2024 to fewer than 2,000 now.