NPR

Sessions Pushes To Speed Up Immigration Courts, Deportations

Attorney General Jeff Sessions is moving to reshape the immigration courts by clearing a massive backlog of cases. Critics say he's considering unprecedented changes in order to speed up deportations.

The Trump administration has been trying to ramp up deportations of immigrants in the country illegally. But one thing has been standing in its way: immigration judges often put these cases on hold.

Now Attorney General Jeff Sessions is considering overruling the judges.

One practice that's particularly infuriating to Sessions and other immigration hardliners is called administrative closure. It allows judges to put deportation proceedings on hold indefinitely.

"Basically they have legalized the person who was coming to court, because

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