03/26/2026 In the San Francisco Immigration Court, hundreds of deportation orders were issued within a short period. These were in absentia decisions—meaning they were issued due to failure to appear at a hearing. According to Mission Local, at least 800 people received such orders: https://missionlocal.org/2026/03/san-francisco-immigration-court-in-absentia-deportations/ A similar trend was also reported by local public radio KALW: https://www.kalw.org/bay-area-news/2026-03-23/hundreds-of-no-show-asylum-seekers-face-arrest-deportation 📖 What an In Absentia Order Means Under the Immigration and Nationality Act § 240(b)(5) 8 U.S.C. § 1229a(b)(5), if a person fails to appear in court, an immigration judge may proceed with the case in their absence and issue a deportation order. Such a decision is allowed only if proper notice of the hearing was provided in accordance with the law and the failure to appear is established. According to Mission Local, in this situation there were likely issues with the notification process. In particular: • Notices may have been sent to outdated addresses • Some individuals may have received them too late • In some cases, there was very little time between notice and the hearing date In such situations, the key issue is whether proper notice was given under the law. 📌 Why This Matters An in absentia order means the case was decided without the person’s participation. In practice, this leads to: • No opportunity to present your case • The case being completed without consideration on the merits ⚖️ Can This Be Challenged? The law allows filing a motion to reopen, including in situations where: • The hearing notice was not received • The failure to appear was due to exceptional circumstances Legal basis: INA § 240(b)(5)(C) However, the ability to reopen the case depends on the specific facts and compliance with procedural deadlines. ❗️The current situation in San Francisco highlights how critical it is to timely receive case information and monitor scheduled hearings. You can check your case status through official resources: USCIS Case Status https://egov.uscis.gov/casestatus/ EOIR Automated Case Information https://acis.eoir.justice.gov/en/ We recommend checking regularly-at least once a week. This information is for general purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.