Utah’s Salt Lake City Immigration Court has begun scheduling cases into massive consolidated hearings, dramatically shifting how practitioners must manage timelines and client preparation. Master calendar dockets now regularly reach 93 to 130 cases in a single hearing session, and individual hearings previously scheduled for 2029 have been moved forward, compressing attorney preparation time to just a couple of months.
What changed
The court clerk indicated this practice began the last week of June 2026. Prior dockets had 59 cases on a day in February and 53 on a day in mid-June, but recent sessions now show 93 and 130 cases spread across a single calendar day. The court has added Judge Stephanie Arrache, appointed in June, bringing the total to five regular judges and one temporary judge, up from five judges in spring 2025. An EOIR spokesperson stated the agency will “continue to make scheduling adjustments to ensure all cases are handled in a timely and lawful manner” as it adds judges.
Immigration attorneys also report asylum claims are being denied through pretermissions—a denial issued before an individual hearing takes place.
Why it matters
These changes create acute challenges for immigration practitioners and unrepresented respondents:
Preparation and notice pressure: Accelerated individual hearing schedules compress preparation time, and attorneys describe being “thrown off guard” when courts alter previously set dates without adequate notice.
Unrepresented immigrants at risk: Unrepresented immigrants attend master calendar hearings—in contrast to represented clients whose hearings are typically canceled. An attorney noted that if immigrants were vulnerable before, “these unprecedented hearings make you even more vulnerable”.
No-show orders: At a single July 6 hearing, 52 respondents did not appear, and the judge ordered them all deported in absentia. Large docket sizes increase the risk that notices are missed or respondents cannot fit into courtrooms, inadvertently triggering removal orders.
Way forward
- Check myUSCIS and court portals regularly: Verify your client’s hearing date has not been rescheduled forward. EOIR scheduling changes may arrive with minimal notice.
- Prepare for compressed timelines: If your hearing was previously set for 2028 or 2029, assume it may move to 2026 or early 2027. Adjust discovery and evidence-gathering timelines accordingly.
- Confirm notice delivery: For unrepresented clients or those with language barriers, ensure they receive and understand any rescheduling notice. Consider hand-delivery or recorded phone calls if mail service is unreliable.
- Monitor expedited processing trends: Watch EOIR data trackers (e.g., Deportation Data Project, EOIR public reporting) for individual judge completion rates and whether pretermission denials are increasing in your circuit.
Disclaimer
This article is for informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice. You should not rely on this information without consulting a licensed immigration attorney licensed in your jurisdiction. Fola is a software company, not a law firm. Immigration policy and court procedures can change without notice. Always verify current practices by checking the EOIR website, your local immigration court’s docket, and the latest agency guidance before filing or taking action on behalf of a client.