Ximena Bastillo

Good morning.

Well, let's say you're in the country illegally.

You may get a notice to appear in an immigration court with a specific place and a specific time.

So basically, that's your chance to make your case as to why you should stay.

That notice is not a deportation order.

But if you don't show up, the government may have the right to order your deportation, and that's called an in absentia removal.

We found that in nearly every immigration court in the country, more people are getting these orders, saying they basically didn't show.

That's early analysis unique to NPR that relied on data from January through November.

It's more than 50,000 people in that time, nearly three times the number from the last fiscal year.

And it's a big jump from trends of prior years.

The spike is really noticeable starting in summer around June, and that lines up with anecdotal observations I've been hearing.

That's around the time when Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers began making arrests in immigration courts.

Here's Ruby Powers, an immigration attorney in Texas, talking about these arrests.

She also said there are several other reasons why people might not show up in court.

This includes mail delays, getting notices to appear, or notices being sent to completely wrong addresses.

And those logistical issues can mean you never get a chance to argue why you should stay in the U.S.

Due process and immigration can already be fairly limited.

This administration has thrown into question whether these courts are even needed and if immigrants want to participate.

Here's Andrew Arthur from the Center for Immigration Studies, a nonprofit that advocates for lower levels of migration.

He said the more removals in absentia ordered by judges, the more are available to be arrested by immigration officers.