Carolina Antonini, a partner at Antonini & Cohen Immigration Law Group, quoted in a May 26 Huffington Post article entitled “Here’s Why Atlanta Is One Of The Worst Places To Be An Undocumented Immigrant.” The Huffington Post sought out Carolina’s opinions on the state of the Atlanta immigration court as well as the asylum process in general.
On average, immigration judges deny about 50% of asylum claims, and 69% of immigration court cases result in a deportation order. In Atlanta, immigration judges deny 98% of asylum claims, with 88% of immigration cases ending up in a deportation order. That’s higher than any other US immigration court that hears more than five cases per year. Since Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) targets people who were already denied asylum or deportation relief in the courts, Atlanta is a prime target for ICE raids.
Carolina Antonini commented on the overloaded court system, “Judges may want to give a fair hearing, but it’s difficult when they’re trying to get through seven cases a day. It’s insane to require a person to do that.” While she feels that most judges, ICE lawyers, and immigration attorneys are acting in good faith, Carolina added, “Sometimes the lack of due process is because the systems are broken. The system could be full of good people — it’s just not working.”
Click here to read the full article by Elise Foley.
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