Immigration Bond: Master Calendar Hearing
Immigration Bond: Master Calendar Hearing
As indicated in previous blogs, the first step in a removal proceeding is a Master Calendar Hearing. This hearing is typically a short preliminary hearing and is usually recognized as the beginning step in the process of removal. This hearing and all other proceedings in the removal proceeding are scheduled by the immigration court, not Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE). Notices of all hearings will come directly from the immigration court.
Immigration Process: The Individual Hearing
Immigration Process: The Individual Hearing
Another type of hearing that occurs in the immigration process is the Individual Hearing.
Assuming that the alien’s case is not resolved at a Master Calendar Hearing (e.g., because the alien admits the veracity of the charges in the Notice To Appear), the immigration court will schedule an Individual Hearing. These hearings are similar, but not identical, to trials in a civil or criminal proceeding. The parties to the proceeding are the alien and ICE. An IJ presides over the proceeding. After confirming that the alien’s name and A-Number are correct, the IJ verifies that ICE has served the Notice To Appear (NTA) on the alien. If the alien had not already pleaded to the charges in the NTA, the IJ has the alien do so. I.e., the alien must either admit or deny each factual allegation in the NTA, and then concede or deny deportability. The IJ also permits the alien to designate the country to which he/she wishes to be sent should the proceeding result in an order of removal.
