Trump’s ‘Deportation Machine’ Keeps Growing Despite Pandemic
- Immigration courts on pace to boost deportation orders 60%
- Cleaning crews in hazmat suits to maintain in-person hearings
The public screening area inside the JFK Federal Building in Boston where the immigration court is open.
Photographer: Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
As President Donald Trump prepares to pause immigration into the U.S., the court system that handles the removal of immigrants is projected to issue nearly 60% more deportation orders than last year.
With the rest of the U.S. legal system grinding to a near halt amid the pandemic, at the nation’s 69 federal immigration courts cleaning crews clad in hazmat suits are regularly used to make sure in-person hearings can continue. The courts are moving at speed to reduce a massive backlog of cases despite outdated technology and criticism from advocacy groups and a union representing most of the nation’s 460 immigration judges, who say the pace is putting people at risk of infection.