A look at what happens inside federal immigration court in NYC amid Trump’s crackdown​on February 7, 2025 at 4:27 am

LOWER MANHATTAN (WABC) — The 7 On Your Side Investigates team is getting a closer look inside immigration court as President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigrants ramps up.

It was another crowded and busy day inside federal immigration court in Downtown Manhattan.

Cameras of any kind are not allowed inside federal court, so 7 On Your Side Investigates spent the day inside a judge’s courtroom earlier this week to show what is happening.

There are a few things that stood out.

First was the the lack of attorneys. None of the undocumented immigrants who showed up for court had attorneys.

If it was their first or second appearance, the judge did grant them an extension but also cautioned if they don’t have an attorney the next time they’ll have to represent themselves.

Second was the time it took for translation. None of the noncitizens spoke English so the judge had to bring in a number of interpreters by phone, video conference or in person to translate.

In just a few hours’ time, they translated languages from Spanish to creole and from Russian to Arabic.

And lastly what stood out was the time it took between the scheduled hearings.

7 On Your Side Investigates witnessed four removal hearings — cases where people crossed the Southern border and the Department of Homeland Security wants them deported.

The judge scheduled an official hearing for them to plead their cases for asylum, but said due to her “very very busy schedule over the next several years,” she had to schedule those hearings in 2028.

We spoke with a former ICE prosecutor who worked for the last three presidents. She said the courts have been this way for years.

“It was definitely overwhelming, there were so many cases,” immigration attorney Veronica Cardenas said. “The courtrooms were overflowing with people were judges literally had to tell people to go outside, do not go into the courtroom and that creates so many issues.”

In the courtroom, there was a lot of time spent addressing the current address for each one of the immigrants.

The judge asked where they live and reminded them if they change addresses they have to notify the court — that’s the only way they communicate by mail, and if they don’t show up for a scheduled hearing, they can be deported.

WATCH | Immigration Crackdown: Facts & Fears

In this special edition of Eyewitness News, we break down the issue of immigration under the Trump administration, and its impact.

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