Government Shutdown Information for Pro Bono Attorneys

We are writing to provide some guidance for your pro bono cases in light of the government shutdown.  In the event that the government shutdown continues, federal agencies that adjudicate immigration matters will operate as follows:

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS): USCIS will continue normal operations, with several exceptions that do not pertain to RMIAN pro bono cases. All applications should continue to be filed according to the instructions and all applicants should attend interviews and appointments as scheduled. See https://www.uscis.gov/news/alerts/lapse-federal-funding-does-not-impact-most-uscis-operations

Immigration Court (Executive Office for Immigration Review):  EOIR has advised the following with respect to the immigration courts:

Cases on the detained docket at the Aurora Immigration Court will continue to go forward normally.

Cases on the non-detained docket at the Denver Immigration Court will be re-scheduled.  

See: https://www.justice.gov/eoir/file/1122956/download

If you represent a client with a hearing scheduled on the non-detained docket at the Denver Immigration Court during the shutdown period, you will receive a new Notice of Hearing in the mail advising you of the re-scheduled hearing date. You can also call the immigration court hotline at 1-800-898-7180 to find out the new hearing date; as long as the hotline remains operational, it should reflect the new hearing date.

During the previous government shutdown, the immigration court continued to accept court filings for both detained and non-detained cases. Therefore, we are advising pro bono attorneys to continue to comply with the filing deadlines in their cases. 

We hope this information provides you with some guidance in this time of uncertainty. Do not hesitate to contact RMIAN should you have any questions about your case.