Some immigrants picked up by ICE given 'fake dates' to appear in court
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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has failed to coordinate or clear appearance dates with federal courts in six cities, the Dallas Morning News reports.
Some people received documents with orders to appear in immigration court at midnight on Sept. 31—in a month that has 30 days. More than a dozen people showed up last Thursday at the Dallas immigration court with notices to appear, which are usually prepared by ICE. Court personnel told them to fill out a form and call a number to find out their actual court date, according to the article.
The U.S. Department of Justice, ICE and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security—which oversees ICE—did not offer the newspaper an explanation about what had happened. ICE spokesman Tim Oberle said the Executive Office for Immigration Review, which is part of the Justice Department, “is responsible for setting and resetting appearance dates upon receipt of a notice to appear filed by” ICE and other “components” of Homeland Security.
“Fake dates” or “dummy dates” are reportedly showing up in courts in Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles and San Diego.
Ashley Huebner, associate director of legal services at the National Immigrant Justice Center in Chicago, told the Morning News she’s seen “dozens and dozens” of immigrants with “dummy dates” on their notices to appear.
“Some traveled as far as Kentucky, ” she said, “and found out either they were not in court proceedings at all or the date they received to come was completely [erroneous].”
See also:
ABAJournal.com: “ICE formalizes policy allowing courthouse arrests of targeted immigrants”
Restores dropped word in fourth paragraph at 11:54 a.m.
