Several courts remain open amid the pandemic

The US government took drastic measures when the Coronavirus arrived in the country.

One of the emergency measures was to close all face-to-face immigration services until May, 2020, at least.

Almost all the courts in the country do not currently offer service or offer service virtually.

However, multiple courts remain open despite the threat of COVID-19 and what it represents to employees, immigrants and attorneys.

Judges across the country call for all courts to close for at least a period of time while the contagion curve slows down.

They filed a lawsuit against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE) and the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) who are in charge of detained immigrants and their cases.

To understand the importance of the lawsuit, we need to look at all the risk scenarios:

• The World Health Organization (WHO) constantly reiterates that the best prevention for contagion is social isolation.
• If the courts remain open to settle detained immigrant cases, that means attorneys must go to face-to-face meetings with their clients (in most cases).
  However, there are several immigrant support entities that have opted for the safety of their employees and clients and are completing all processes virtually (which is the best alternative due to the pandemic).
  If you want to know more about specialized immigration attorneys, you can contact Motion Law today for a FREE phone Consultation.
• Not only court employees are at risk of contagion, but immigration attorneys, immigrants, and ICE employees who work at immigration detention centers around the country.

There are already cases of contagion

The main reason the country’s judges are asking for the courts to close temporarily is because there are already cases of contagion in the courts, in immigration detention centers and in prisons.

This is a very big concern for federal employees because they also have families and want to protect them at all costs from the spread of COVID-19.

Known cases

• An attorney who recently visited one of the hearing rooms of the Boston Federal Immigration Court has a relative who tested positive for COVID-19.
• Two ICE employees who work at a Miami immigration center are infected.
• In New Jersey there is a new detainee with COVID-19 who is in isolation to prevent the massive spread of the virus.
• On April 6, 2020, a total of 13 detained immigrants were reported to be infected around the country’s detention centers and jails. That means, the actual rate of contagion must be higher now.
• 3 immigrants who were deported to Guatemala tested positive on the COVID-19 exam.

Government entities’ response

The US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) decided to continue with its processes online.

That means that all face-to-face appointments were postponed until further notice (May for now, but that date could change depending on the progress of the virus).

You can continue with your immigration process, but always taking care of your health and your family’s health.

The government has already found alternatives to virtually submit applications and avoid mass contagion.

If you have any questions about an immigration issue or relating to a case you may have currently in progress, then please don’t hesitate to contact us for a FREE Phone Consultation with one of our expert immigration attorneys.

Simply call Motion Law today at: (202) 918-1799.