The Advocates for Human Rights says immigration courts keep restricting public access without justification
The Advocates for Human RightsPlaintiff organization, in a news post on its website
In an update on its lawsuit, The Advocates for Human Rights says it and observers around the country have documented immigration courts repeatedly restricting public and press access to hearings without justification, and that the problems continued more than four months after it sued.
Responding to
Immigration courts have restricted public and press access to hearings without justification, contrary to the federal regulation that makes immigration hearings open to the public.
“The Advocates for Human Rights and court observers across the country have documented immigration courts repeatedly restricting public and press access to hearings without justification.”
Official statement
Where this statement fits
Volunteer court observers appeal after a judge declines to order immigration courts to restore public access to hearings
The Advocates for Human Rights and seven volunteer observers filed a notice of appeal on October 9, 2026, after U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras denied their request for a preliminary injunction against restrictions on observing immigration court hearings. The observers, led by a Minneapolis group that monitors the Fort Snelling Immigration Court, say immigration courts have locked courtrooms, shut observers out of remote hearings and moved cases to out-of-state judges without public notice. In a September 3 opinion, Contreras let two claims proceed, on remote-only hearings with no public access and on out-of-state judges without adequate notice, and dismissed the rest. He denied the injunction largely because the government had taken steps, including a June 2026 fact sheet on observing hearings, that lessened the risk of observers being shut out while the case continues.
Source and context
Official statement
About this source
The group's update on its immigration court observation lawsuit, describing restrictions it says continue at Fort Snelling and other immigration courts.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
The post opens by saying transparency is essential to a functioning court system and that federal regulations make immigration court hearings presumptively open to the public, allowing closed hearings only in specific circumstances.
After the quotation
The post says observers at Fort Snelling began facing locked courtroom doors and judges' refusals to admit them to virtual Webex hearings in early 2025, and that more than four months after the March 2026 lawsuit, these problems continue.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is the restrictions that immigration courts, run by the Justice Department's Executive Office for Immigration Review, have placed on public observers' access to hearings, including remote-only hearings without public access and cases moved to out-of-state judges. The group says the courts restrict access without justification, contrary to regulations that make hearings presumptively open.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Executive Office for Immigration Review
More from this case
Read the full caseJudge Contreras says most of the observers' claims fail but two core claims remain
“Although most of Plaintiffs claims fail, two core claims remain. Plaintiffs plausibly allege that the Government is denying volunteer observers access to immigration proceedings by either holding them entirely online with no way for the public to access them or providing access only in a different state with no adequate notice of where that will be. These practices, if proven, would violate 8 C.F.R. § 1003.27.”Read statement
Immigration courts' spokesperson declines to comment on the lawsuit
Executive Office for Immigration Review
“declines to comment on litigation-related matters.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "The Advocates for Human Rights says immigration courts keep restricting public access without justification". First published: 2026-10-21. Last updated: 2026-10-21. https://disputeindex.com/events/6351-in-an-update-on-its-lawsuit-the-advocates