In 2021, the Biden administration established fast-tracked removal proceedings, known as the Dedicated Docket, targeting asylum-seeking families who recently arrived in the United States. This report analyzes the impact of the Dedicated Docket on asylum-seeking families in the Boston Immigration Court. The Boston Dedicated Docket is the largest in the country, with over 20,000 asylum seekers, many of whom are children, being denied a fair and meaningful opportunity to be heard. The report finds that asylum seekers assigned to the Boston Dedicated Docket face disproportionately negative case outcomes, high rates of removal without their day in court, and barriers to accessing counsel. It calls upon the Biden administration to terminate the Dedicated Docket.
Read more about it here:
Full Report – Denial of Justice: The Biden Administration’s Dedicated Docket in the Boston Immigration Court
Press Release – New Report Finds Asylum-Seeking Families in Boston Ordered Removed Without Legal Representation and Without Their Day in Court
Boston Globe – Biden officials promised Boston’s special immigration program would be fast, but fair. Advocates say it fails at both.
Advocates’ Letter to the Administration – Follow Up Regarding EOIR’s Response to Advocates Call to End the Dedicated Docket