An immigration court few have heard of is quietly shaping policy behind the scenes

The Trump administration has reshaped a lesser-known corner of the Justice Department to set immigration policy and escalate mass detentions and deportations.

“The Trump administration has reshaped a lesser-known corner of the Justice Department to set immigration policy and escalate mass detentions and deportations”

WKU Public Radio

Last year, their decisions backed Department of Homeland Security lawyers in 97% of publicly posted cases; that's at least 30 percentage points higher than the average from the last 16 years.

The board has made it harder for immigration courts to offer immigrants bond in lieu of detention.

“The Trump administration has reshaped a lesser-known corner of the Justice Department to set immigration policy and escalate mass detentions and deportations”

WKU Public Radio

It's made it easier to deport migrants to countries other than their own.

And a new proposed regulation would make it harder for people to appeal their immigration decisions at all.

Within a month of taking office, leadership in the new Trump administration moved forward with a reduction in force, cutting the number of appellate judge slots on the board from 28 to 15.

The first to be dismissed were the most recent hires: those appointed by Biden.

WKU Public Radio