Speed Without Fairness Is Not Justice. Demand Fair Immigration Hearings in South Florida.
The Issue
Immigrants in South Florida are receiving notices that their court dates have been moved up by months. In some cases, by years.
One woman learned her immigration hearing, originally scheduled for October 2028, now requires her to appear before a Miami judge next September. A Brazilian man seeking political asylum was told to come in four months earlier than expected. Attorneys say they are receiving these notices with no explanation and no time to prepare.
These hearings are called master calendar hearings. They are often an immigrant's first appearance before an immigration judge. What happens in that hearing can determine whether someone stays in the United States or is deported. The less time an attorney has to prepare, the more likely their client is to lose.
"The less time that you have to prepare a case, the more likely that you're going to lose that case," immigration attorney Morella Aguado told CBS News Miami.
When attorneys request continuances because they cannot prepare in time, the federal government is opposing those requests. Immigrants are not just afraid of losing their cases. They are afraid that showing up to court means being detained on the spot.
The Executive Office for Immigration Review says it is making scheduling adjustments to ensure cases do not languish. A backlog so severe that cases were scheduled for 2028 is a real problem that deserves a real solution. But rushing people through hearings without adequate notice is not a solution. It is a due process failure dressed up as efficiency.
We are calling on the DOJ and EOIR to require a minimum 90-day notice before any hearing date is accelerated, prohibit government opposition to first continuance requests in cases where dates were moved without adequate notice, and stop scheduling practices that effectively deny immigrants the right to counsel.
We are also calling on Congress to fully fund immigration court staffing so cases can be resolved on a timeline that is both timely and fair.
Speed without fairness is not justice. Sign to demand both.
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The Issue
Immigrants in South Florida are receiving notices that their court dates have been moved up by months. In some cases, by years.
One woman learned her immigration hearing, originally scheduled for October 2028, now requires her to appear before a Miami judge next September. A Brazilian man seeking political asylum was told to come in four months earlier than expected. Attorneys say they are receiving these notices with no explanation and no time to prepare.
These hearings are called master calendar hearings. They are often an immigrant's first appearance before an immigration judge. What happens in that hearing can determine whether someone stays in the United States or is deported. The less time an attorney has to prepare, the more likely their client is to lose.
"The less time that you have to prepare a case, the more likely that you're going to lose that case," immigration attorney Morella Aguado told CBS News Miami.
When attorneys request continuances because they cannot prepare in time, the federal government is opposing those requests. Immigrants are not just afraid of losing their cases. They are afraid that showing up to court means being detained on the spot.
The Executive Office for Immigration Review says it is making scheduling adjustments to ensure cases do not languish. A backlog so severe that cases were scheduled for 2028 is a real problem that deserves a real solution. But rushing people through hearings without adequate notice is not a solution. It is a due process failure dressed up as efficiency.
We are calling on the DOJ and EOIR to require a minimum 90-day notice before any hearing date is accelerated, prohibit government opposition to first continuance requests in cases where dates were moved without adequate notice, and stop scheduling practices that effectively deny immigrants the right to counsel.
We are also calling on Congress to fully fund immigration court staffing so cases can be resolved on a timeline that is both timely and fair.
Speed without fairness is not justice. Sign to demand both.
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Petition created on June 3, 2026