Immigration courts' spokesperson declines to comment on the lawsuit
Executive Office for Immigration ReviewSpokesperson for the federal immigration courts, responding to MinnPost
Asked about the lawsuit, a spokesperson for the federal immigration courts said the office declines to comment on litigation-related matters.
“declines to comment on litigation-related matters.”
Reporting
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
Reporting
About this source
MinnPost report on the lawsuit after a hearing in Washington, D.C., republished by Civic Media, including the federal regulation on open hearings and a response from a spokesperson for the immigration courts.
Before the quotation
The report describes the 1987 Justice Department regulation that makes hearings open to the public with narrow exceptions, and the lawsuit's First Amendment claim, which relies on a 2002 appeals court ruling on press and public access to immigration proceedings.
After the quotation
The report then describes how access changed for the group's observers at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, according to Amy Lange, whose volunteers observe hearings there.
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 office's spokesperson declined to comment on the litigation, so it took no public position on the observers' claims in this response.
- 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
The Advocates for Human Rights says immigration courts keep restricting public access without justification
The Advocates for Human Rights
“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.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Immigration courts' spokesperson declines to comment on the lawsuit". First published: 2026-10-21. Last updated: 2026-10-21. https://disputeindex.com/events/6353-asked-about-the-lawsuit-a-spokesperson-for-the