Immigration courts across the United States are implementing a new tactic: summoning hundreds of immigrants at the same time in so-called "mega masters" hearings — instead of dozens as before — to process backlogged cases more quickly. According to immigration lawyers who spoke with NPR, these hearings primarily target people without legal representation. Anyone who arrives late or fails to appear — even unintentionally — is immediately ordered deported. Attorney Vanessa Dojaquez-Torres from AILA warned that many people may not receive notice of schedule changes, because the government sometimes fails to send letters or electronic notifications. This is currently happening at courts in Chicago, Boston, Chelmsford (Massachusetts), and will soon be deployed in Dallas. The Trump administration has set a goal of deporting one million people each year — significantly higher than the 600,000 people deported in 2025.
When a court lacks sufficient seating and notifications are not sent properly, the outcome is nearly predetermined before the hearing even begins.
Analysis
The "mega masters" tactic is not merely a simple administrative solution — it is a mechanism designed to maximize in absentia removal orders, which do not require actual adjudication.
History shows that in absentia deportation orders were widely abused during the 1990s and early 2000s, when the notification system had significant gaps. Congress later added protective procedures — but those improvements are now being effectively nullified by the speed and scale of the new hearings.
The core problem lies here: when a court lacks enough seating for all defendants, when hearing notices are not sent properly, and when most parties lack attorneys — the outcome is nearly predetermined. This is not justice; it is an administrative process dressed in judicial robes.
The Trump administration's goal of one million deportations per year demands speed far exceeding the actual capacity of the court system. "Mega masters" is a shortcut — and this shortcut is sacrificing due process for the most vulnerable people in the system.
Diaspora Impact
Two groups within the Vietnamese-American community face direct risk from this tactic.
First, elderly first-generation refugee elders with unresolved immigration cases — particularly in concentrated areas like Little Saigon (Orange County), Houston, and San Jose — many of whom have court dates scheduled for 2027 to 2029, may now be summoned earlier through "mega masters" hearings without timely notice. This group typically does not check email frequently and easily misses electronic updates from the court.
Second, asylum seekers and people holding TPS (Temporary Protected Status) waiting for case extensions, especially at courts in Boston and Dallas — where the "mega masters" program is expanding — face the risk of being ordered deported in absentia if their hearing dates are changed without proper notification.