What a day in immigration court is like now

The Trump administration is deploying a new strategy to speed up deportations. Government lawyers are asking immigration judges to dismiss on-going cases. Then, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents arrest people as soon as they step out of the courtroom.


The process is often chaotic. And for immigrants without legal status, it's also very risky.

NPR immigration policy reporter Ximena Bustillo went to an immigration court in New York City to see how that process unfolds – and found herself experiencing some of the chaos firsthand.

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This episode was produced by Sarah Ventre, Avery Keatley and Connor Donevan, with audio engineering by Jimmy Keeley. It was edited by Anna Yukhananov and William Troop. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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