t’s been just more than two months since the Trump administration began implementing its plans to deport more people in the country without legal status. And the impact is being felt at the Fort Snelling Immigration Court, which is located inside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building.
There are currently seven immigration judges assigned to the court, and their dockets are often full.
In court are also groups of observers who are concerned about the rights of immigrants in the court system. They track trends and cases.
On a recent day in the court lobby, several people, including families with children who are seeking asylum, showed up for their mandatory court hearings.
Dozens of these asylum seekers filled the benches in the courtroom of Immigration Judge Kalin Ivany.
Families waited their turns as they were called to answer questions about how they entered the U.S. and learn which applications are available to them.
Judge Ivany, greeting each person with a smile, explained the asylum application process, the importance of updating their addresses and the need for documents in English or with translations.
Almost every person was not represented by an attorney and communicated in Spanish with the judge through a courtroom interpreter. Many were from Ecuador and Venezuela, some were from Honduras.
