Wyden, Merkley, Bonamici, Salinas, Hoyle, Dexter, Bynum Oppose Trump’s Undermining of Due Process and Politicizing Immigration Courts
Oregon lawmakers demand an end to expedited “mega master” hearings in Portland, Tacoma, and other immigration centers.
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, along with U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Andrea Salinas, Val Hoyle, Maxine Dexter and Janelle Bynum, today demanded the Trump administration end the practice of “mega master” immigration hearings that expedite the review of hundreds of immigrants’ cases in a day, resulting in a fast-track to removing immigrants without due process.
“This unwarranted blitzkrieg of assaults on justice and fair treatment raises serious constitutional concerns and is unworthy of the oaths you swore to uphold,” the Oregon lawmakers wrote to Attorney General Todd Blanche, Sirce E. Owen, Acting Director of the Executive Office for Immigration Review and David Venturella, Acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“Over the past year, your agencies have increased the number of immigrants who must appear on little-to-no notice for so-called ‘mega master’ hearings on overcrowded dockets in front of Trump’s handpicked judges at courts across the country, all while stripping immigrants of their legal status, ramping up arrests and detention, and limiting their access to legal counsel for representation in court and fast-tracked asylum interviews,” they wrote.
“These policy changes confuse and terrify law-abiding immigrants in our communities and prevent them from having a fair day in court.”
The lawmakers wrote that the Portland Immigration Court in Oregon is now holding about two “mega master” hearings every week, in addition to maintaining its previously scheduled docket hearings and individual merit hearings. That has forced immigrants anticipating court dates in 2027 or 2028 to suddenly show up on extremely short notice and scrambling both to figure out how to get to the court on time, and to find an attorney to represent them.
“As if the changes at the Portland Immigration Court weren’t bad enough, the neighboring Tacoma Immigration Court has now had judges deciding in mid-August to stop allowing immigration attorneys across Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska from appearing remotely on behalf of their clients detained at the regional detention center,” the lawmakers continued. “Previously, the Tacoma Immigration Court allowed out-of-state attorneys to represent their clients by making court appearances through video conferencing technology. Now attorneys—and when applicable, expert witnesses— have to attend these hearings in person.”
The new requirement for immigration attorneys to represent their clients in person comes as immigration judges allow Department of Homeland Security prosecutors to participate in hearings remotely. In other cases even the presiding judge is attending remotely as well, with attorneys sharing that remote appearances by judges happen in about half the cases that they must attend in-person at the Tacoma Immigration Court.
These new in-person requirements also come as attorneys share that the court is sending “notices to appear” and setting hearings for that same morning giving the attorneys little time to prepare or make travel arrangements from out of state. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has also been routinely denying immigration attorneys access to their clients at detention centers, and transferring clients thousands of miles away to detention centers across the country.
“Immigration court proceedings must uphold fairness and rule of law and not be politicized to satisfy Donald Trump’s arbitrary detention quotas. We call on the Trump administration to discontinue policies and tactics that undermine constitutional due process. Our legal system relies on accountability; therefore, we demand that you establish fair and meaningful hearings that provide a genuine day in court and uphold the integrity of our nation’s immigration system,” the lawmakers concluded.
The lawmakers ended their letter demanding a written response by October 15th, 2026 detailing the steps that the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security will take to achieve the following:
- Terminate “mega master” hearings.
- Provide immigrants with sufficient notice of their proceedings.
- Reduce hardships on immigration attorneys.
- Ensure that immigration judges hear cases individually, free from political influence.
The full text of the letter is here.
A web version of the release is here.
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