It’s a Thanksgiving Miracle! (Admin Closure is Back on the Docket and Why it Matters)

Just as many people are watching the clock wind down towards the quintessential American holiday (by which I mean Black Friday, of course, although I suppose Thanksgiving is coming up, too), David Neal, Director of the Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR), released a new memo that puts prosecutorial discretion and administrative closure back on the docket.

The memo, which was released yesterday, instructs immigration judges to ask DHS trial attorneys (who act as quasi-prosecutors in immigration court) at the beginning of removal hearings if the non-citizen is a priority for deportation. If DHS says no, the judge is instructed to inquire whether DHS plans to exercise prosecutorial discretion or seek administrative closure.

I’ll explain more about this below, but the short story is, many people currently at risk of deportation in court could experience a sigh of short-term relief.

What is administrative closure?

Administrative closure is a way for immigration judges to…. (click here to read the rest of the original post on Substack).