In the Spring of 2021, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the creation of a “dedicated docket” to expedite the processing of certain immigration cases. The cases that fall within this particular docket include families who arrived at the Southwest Border after May 28, 2021. These family units were allowed temporary entry into the United States in order to pursue asylum claims. DHS and DOJ have issued a directive to immigration courts across the country, including the San Francisco Immigration Court, to adjudicate the asylum cases on the dedicated docket within 300 days of an individual’s first court date.

San Francisco Immigration Court is processing thousands of cases for recent asylum seekers at an expedited pace. The expedited processing is making it particularly challenging for these families, all of whom are recent arrivals, to locate and hire attorneys. As a result, the majority of the families are forced to proceed alone and without counsel in complicated, legally nuanced, and burdensome asylum proceedings.

Students in the Immigrants’ Rights Clinic have provided various forms of advocacy for individuals on the dedicated docket. Students have served as pro bono attorneys, created pro se guides, and submitted FOIA requests to government agencies to learn more about the dedicated docket.