WASHINGTON — Rep. Zoe Lofgren unveiled sweeping legislation Thursday to overhaul the immigration court system by moving the courts outside the executive branch and making them an independent entity.
Currently, the courts are housed within the Department of Justice. Under the bill by Lofgren, D-Calif., immigration courts would be restructured under Article I of the Constitution, turning them into an independent system, such as the U.S. Tax Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims and the U.S. bankruptcy courts.
The proposal is intended to insulate immigration courts from politics, preventing presidents and attorneys general from using the courts to shape their immigration policies.
