John,

Health officials have told us to stay home and practice social distancing to flatten the curve of COVID-19.

However, the government is ignoring this advice when it comes to immigration courts and detention facilities. Thousands of in-person court hearings continue and nearly 40,000 detainees are held in close quarters.

The American Immigration Council trains volunteer attorneys to represent people in detention through the Immigration Justice Campaign. We know firsthand that there are real concerns about due process for migrants in this moment—in addition to the public health risks under these circumstances.

That’s why we just filed a lawsuit to close the immigration courts and continue time-sensitive cases through remote technologies. The Campaign—alongside the American Immigration Lawyers Association—is represented by our fellow plaintiffs National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild.

The lawsuit demands that the government:

• Suspend in-person hearings for the duration of the pandemic.
• Allow for remote court appearance instead.
• Guarantee secure ways for attorneys and detained clients to speak to each other.

If the government will not do this on their own, the Council will use all tools at our disposal to force their hand.

Reducing the number of people in detention and using remote technologies will preserve access to counsel and protect the health of all Americans—regardless of immigration status.

Sincerely,

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