Ten immigration courts across the country have closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Justice announced Tuesday night, and all hearings for immigrants who are not in detention have been postponed. This comes days after lawyers, advocates, and federal immigration officials formed an unlikely alliance, calling for immigration courts to close as coronavirus spreads.
In Texas, the only affected immigration court is in Houston—one of 11 across the state. Hearings will continue to be held in cities including San Antonio, Dallas, and El Paso, where cases of COVID-19 have all been confirmed.
“The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) has been carefully reviewing the information available from federal officials related to the recently-declared pandemic of coronavirus,” EOIR said in a statement. “The agency continues to evaluate the dynamic situation nationwide and will make decisions for each location as more information becomes available.”
