NEW YORK — The Justice Department closed two immigration courts in New York City and an immigration court in Newark amid the COIVD-19 outbreak.
Those three courts are among 10 shutdown nationwide following a Tuesday announcement by the Executive Office for Immigration Review. The National Association of Immigration Judges has called for all immigration courts to be closed while the battle against coronavirus continues.
“Due to EOIR’s continuing evaluation of information from local, regional, state, and federal officials regarding the coronavirus pandemic, the agency is postponing non-detained hearings nationwide,” EOIR wrote on Facebook.
Other courts closed include:
- Atlanta-W. Peachtree Street
- Charlotte
- Houston-S. Gessner Road
- Louisville
- Memphis
- Sacramento
- Los Angeles – Olive Street
New York’s court system has also partially shutdown amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
“These initiatives are part of out continuing and evolving efforts to assure the operation of the courts in the safest manner for the public and our employees in this time of medical emergency,” a memo from Judge Lawrence Marks about those closures reads.
