When Hundreds Are Called at Once: What do "Mega Master" Hearings and Accelerated Court Schedules Mean for Immigrants?
by jennifer m., outreach programs manager
Imagine receiving notice that your immigration hearing, originally scheduled for the end of the year, has been moved up to next week. You immediately contact your attorney, only to learn that you and potentially hundreds of other people have been scheduled for the same date.
With little time to prepare, you must now coordinate with your attorney, gather necessary documents, and rearrange work and family responsibilities, all while navigating an already complex legal process.
Since May 2026, immigration courts have been scheduling "mega master" hearings. In these sessions, more than 100 people are called to court at once, often with little or no advance notice of the original date being moved up.
First, what is a master calendar hearing?
A master calendar hearing (MCH) is the preliminary procedural hearing in an immigration case in a series of hearings leading up to a final decision. During this hearing, the judge discusses what relief the person may seek, such as asylum or a family-based green card, and sets dates for later hearings.
A mega master is an MCH held on a much larger scale. Instead of a handful of people, a very large group is called in together.
Why this matters
When notice of rescheduled court hearings is provided on short notice, people may not have enough time to prepare, secure legal representation, or make the necessary arrangements to attend. Immigration court scheduling has become increasingly unpredictable. Practitioners report that some people placed in the “mega master” hearing process are also seeing their individual hearings fast-tracked, while other cases are being moved up significantly with little notice. This can lead to people missing their court hearing, which even if done unintentionally, can result in an absentia removal order—a judge’s order to remove someone from the United States because they failed to appear in court. Such an order can have serious consequences, including placing someone at risk of deportation.
Fast-tracking cases this way can leave people with little time to prepare or secure legal representation, raising serious due process concerns. Immigration courts have long faced significant backlogs, and addressing those delays is important. However, every person in the United States is entitled to due process, regardless of citizenship or immigration status. When people are denied a meaningful opportunity to prepare and present their cases, fundamental legal protections are at risk.
Why free and low-cost legal help matters
Immigration court is not a criminal court. People in removal proceedings generally have the right to hire a lawyer, but not to have the government provide one. Someone who cannot afford an attorney often stands before a judge alone, facing a government lawyer, in a complex system.
That gap matters most with mega master hearings. A lawyer can track a client's hearing date, flag changes, prepare them for court, and appear with them. Without that help, a missed notice or a misunderstood form can lead to an in absentia order or foreclosure of the person's ability to pursue relief they may be eligible for.
The difference is stark. Of immigration court cases decided from FY 2019 to 2024, 62 percent of immigrants without a lawyer were ordered deported, compared to 27 percent of those with legal representation.
Nonprofits like TNJFON help close that gap. Every person who has a lawyer by their side is one less person facing the system alone.
Need legal help? Please reach out to our team at help@tnjfon.org for a referral. You can also verify your hearing date using your A-number and country of citizenship on the EOIR Automated Case Information website, or by calling the EOIR hotline.
Want to help? If you would like to support our work to close the legal representation gap and make our immigration system fairer, please consider donating here.
Resources:
National Immigration Project: Mega Master Hearings: Fast Cases and Bad Outcomes
National Immigrant Justice Center: Know Your Rights: “Mega Master” hearings and other new immigration court policies
NPR: Immigration courts are using a new tactic to speed up deportations
TNJFON: www.tnjfon.org/resources