Elizabeth Immigration Court Closed August 29, 2011

As is now posted on the official EOIR web site, the immigration court in Elizabeth, NJ is closed today, Monday, August 29, 2011. This is related to Hurricane Irene, which hit over the weekend. The court is closed in the sense of not holding hearings. It seems that the court is also closed in the sense of not having any window open to accept any court filings. Call ahead for details or to ask for more information!

Judge Eugene Pugliese Retires From Newark Immigration Court

Immigration Judge Eugene Pugliese retired from Newark Immigration Court. His last day on the bench was June 30, 2011. There is no clear guidance yet how the court will handle all of the cases that were under his control when he retired. Cases from July 5, 2011 to July 8, 2011 are being postponed, but it is not yet clear when they will be heard next and by which immigration judge.

Time will tell whether people in Newark Immigration Court will have to suffer even longer waits and delays to receive a decision in their cases.

USCIS information event in Vineland, NJ 4/19/11

The USCIS Newark District will be conducting a Naturalization Information Session on Tuesday, April 19th, at 1:00pm, at the Vineland Public Library in Vineland, NJ. According to USCIS, it will last around two hours and will discuss the naturalization eligibility requirements, the redesigned test, and various study aids. They intend to reach lawful permanent residents (green card holders) who are interested in becoming United States citizens and people interested in the process.

Naturalization Information Session

Tuesday, April 19th, 2011

1:00pm-3:00pm

Vineland Public Library

1058 E. Landis Avenue

Vineland, NJ 08360

Newark and Elizabeth Immigration Courts Probably Open For Detained Cases During Any Shutdown

Please call ahead to get the official word, but it seems like if there is a government shutdown, Newark Immigration Court and Elizabeth Immigration Court in New Jersey would continue to operate for their detained cases. In Newark, those are being heard right now by Judge Reichenberg and Judge Finston. If there is a shutdown and you have a case for someone who is not detained, call ahead to find out whether the case is being heard. Also check the EOIR web site and the Newark Immigration Court's web site to see if they post any information.

Elizabeth Police Officer Accused Of Stopping Immigrants And Threatening Them With Calling ICE

According to a March 17, 2011 press release from the Union County Prosecutor's Office in New Jersey, a police officer in the Elizabeth, NJ Police Department was accused of making unjustified stops of cars driven by Latino men, questioning them about their immigration status, and threatening to report them to the immigration authorities unless they paid him money. The accusations are that the police officer did it while on duty.

According to the office of the Union County Prosecutor, Theodore J. Romankow, the officer (Rocco Malgieri) received payments from $100 to $150 from at least seven immigrants. The charges include second degree theft by extortion and third degree bribery. Keep in mind that accusations are not findings of guilt. On the contrary, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless they are proven guilty.

If the accusations turn out to be true, it suggests a disturbing scenario where immigrants in New Jersey are victims of racial profiling, of illegal stops by local police, and of being threatened in order to hand over illegal payments to police officers.

The prosecutor's office urges people with information to call them. Immigrants who are victims should be careful to explore the possibilities of cooperating, including whether they might be threatened with deportation as a result of trying to help the police and whether they qualify for certain specific protections from deportation as a victim of a crime.

Newark Immigration Court Possibly Delayed Opening At Noon on Wednesday, February 2, 2011

As of 8am, there is an unofficial report that the immigration court in Newark, New Jersey might have a delayed opening at noon on Wednesday, February 2, 2011 due to the snow and ice conditions.

As of 8am, however, the official EOIR web site does not list anything about a delayed opening. You should call the Newark Immigration Court yourself and find out officially whether there is a delayed opening or not. Or you can check the EOIR web site and if it officially lists a delayed opening, you would not need to call the court to find out.

It is possible that the EOIR web site is slow to have the latest information and that the court does have a delayed opening, but call the court to find out for certain. Please post a comment if you call and find out information.

Update, 10:30am: additional unofficial reports that the Newark Immigration Court will not open until noon, but as of 10:30am, no listing of this on the official EOIR web site. Until EOIR updates its web site (if it ever gets to it), you should call the court to find out for certain whether it has a noon delayed opening on February 2.

Newark Immigration Court and Elizabeth Immigration Court Closing 3:30pm February 1, 2011

The Newark Immigration Court and the Elizabeth Immigration Court will close early on February 1, 2011 at 3:30pm. This is probably due to the forecast of bad weather for the afternoon. There is no information about whether the courts will close or change their operating hours on any other date. Drive carefully!

USCIS in Newark Postponing Several February 1 and 2, 2011 Interviews

The USCIS Newark Field office has announced that it will cancel (and reschedule) all naturalization interviews currently scheduled for the afternoon of Tuesday, February 1, 2011.

For Wednesday, February 2, 2011, USCIS in Newark will cancel all appointments and interviews. For any interview other than an InfoPass appointment, USCIS will automatically reschedule the appointment. People with an InfoPass appointment must go to the USCIS web site and make another appointment.

This is because of the expected snowstorm. Good luck!

USCIS-NJ changes on January 27, 2011 due to snow

USCIS in NJ announced that its Mount Laurel office is closed on Thursday, January 27, 2011 due to snow.

Appointments in its Newark office for the morning will go ahead if the people being interviewed show up. For those unable to make it due to the snow, USCIS in Newark will reschedule them.

Appointments in its Newark office for the afternoon of January 27 are cancelled and USCIS will reschedule them.

Newark Immigration Court Closed Thursday, January 27, 2011

Someone at the Newark Immigration Court said that as of 9am, they decided to close the Newark Immigration Court for Thursday, January 27, 2011. There is nothing about this on the EOIR web site so if you want to play it safe, you could call the Newark Immigration Court to get confirmation for yourself.

The person was also pretty sure that the Elizabeth Immigration Court is probably closed on January 27, 2011. To be safe, you should call the Elizabeth Immigration Court to get confirmation (unless at some point today EOIR's official web site has an announcement).

At the moment, the latest news is that USCIS in Newark will open with a two hour delay and reschedule anyone who cannot make it due to the weather. Also, the building at 970 Broad Street in Newark is not letting non-employees enter the building until at least 10am. Please post comments if you have more information.

Newark Immigration Court Open Wednesday, January 26, 2011 Despite Snow

If you have an appointment in Newark Immigration Court, call the court directly to find out officially what is happening.

Unofficially, it seems that the Newark Immigration Court is open on Wednesday, January 26, 2011 despite the snowstorm. Judge Riefkohl might be postponing his cases for today, which is quite reasonable considering the weather.

If you cannot make it to Newark because of the snow, you should call the court to speak with them officially about your difficulties. Only they can tell you whether you can be excused and reschedule your court date. Call the court -- you would probably be making a mistake if you did not call them and did not show up. Good luck and post comments to this blog post if you find out more.

No Early Indications Of Any Closures For January 21, 2011 Snow

There are no early indications of any delayed openings or closures with USCIS in Newark or Mt. Laurel, New Jersey; with the Newark Immigration Court; or with the Elizabeth Immigration Court due to snow on Friday, January 21, 2011.

This is not an official announcement, though. Instead, anyone who would like to find out the latest should call USCIS, the Newark Immigration Court, or the Elizabeth Immigration Court to get the official word. Another place you could visit is the USCIS web site and the EOIR web site.

Please post a comment if you call and find out more information (including where you found the information and at what time of the day because things can change). Good luck traveling through the snow if you have a USCIS or court appointment!

Update: looks like the Newark Immigration Court is open for business as usual despite the snow.

Newark Immigration Court Delayed Opening and Elizabeth Immigration Court Maybe Delayed Opening On January 12, 2011 Due To Snow

I have informally heard that the Elizabeth Immigration Court (in Elizabeth, NJ) might open late at 10am on Wednesday, January 12, 2011, due to snow. I have not heard of anything about the Newark Immigration Court, so it is possible that the Newark Immigration Court is open for business on January 12.

To double-check, call the court and ask for information about whether they are closed or have a delayed opening. At some point, the EOIR web site may list delays or closures -- nothing there yet about this.

Post a comment if you find out more information or get through to the court staff and find out something. Do you have a suggestion for a system that the court should try to use? I do not know how open they would be to suggestions, but why can't we talk amongst ourselves about ways they could inform people about whether they are open or closed on snowy days?

Update: the Newark Immigration Court will open for business at 10am (so a delayed opening) on January 12, 2011 due to snow. Also, Judge Riefkohl's cases scheduled for January 12 will not be heard due to the snow. (By the way, judging by the snowstorm, the decision to have a delayed opening and to reschedule Judge Riefkohl's cases sounds perfectly reasonable.) Also, the EOIR web site as of 9:30am shows that both Newark and Elizabeth Immigration Courts have a delayed opening at 10am -- look at the EOIR web site yourself to confirm this.

Further update: seems that Judge Pugliese and Judge Garcy also are postponing the cases they had scheduled to be heard on January 12, 2011. Seems reasonable.

USCIS-NJ/NY Interviews For January 12, 2011 Postponed

Because of the forecast of snow, USCIS in NJ and NY is rescheduling interviews on Wednesday, January 12, 2011. No word yet about whether the immigration courts will be open or closed.

Newark Immigration Court and Elizabeth Immigration Court Probably Closed Monday, December 27, 2010

Please call the Newark Immigration Court and the Elizabeth Immigration Court to confirm that they are closed on Monday, December 27, 2010, due to the snowstorm.

Some accounts say that the courts are closed on December 27. However, if you have a case that depends on appearing in court, call the courts to confirm this. It would be better for you to rely on an official explanation from the court rather than this blog posting.

The Newark Immigration Court's web site and the Elizabeth Immigration Court's web site do not say anything about being closed. However, it is possible that EOIR does not announce court closures on the particular court's web site.

I did not see anything on the Executive Office for Immigration Review's site to say that either court will be closed. However, is it possible that EOIR does not post closings on its web site, that EOIR has not yet posted the closure, or that EOIR posted it somewhere on its web site but I could not figure out where.

If you find out additional information about whether the courts are closed on December 27, please post a comment to this blog posting.

Update: at some point in the morning, EOIR put on its web site an announcement that the Newark and Elizabeth Immigration Courts are closed December 27 due to the snow. I am very glad that EOIR put an announcement that everyone could see. Maybe in the future they might try to set up a system to put the announcement up earlier, such as the night before or in the early-morning. Still, thank you EOIR for how well you are doing so far!

Additional information: at some point on December 27 morning, USCIS posted information about closings. Here is an excerpt: "East Coast Snow Storm Closes Multiple Offices. The following offices are closed on Monday, Dec. 27 due to the East Coast Snow Storm: Northeast Regional Field Office and Application Support Center (VT); All New York City Field Offices, Application Support Centers and the New York Asylum Office; All Newark, NJ Field Offices and Application Support Centers; Philadelphia, PA Field Office and Application Support Center." (This is an excerpt of what they put up, not the entire announcement.)