Sitting at the front of Hartford’s immigration court one day in early June, Judge Angela Munson rattled off the names of about 50 people. Those present raised their hands and were met with a smile and greeting from Munson. If no one responded when a name was called, the judge made a note. Most of the people had been called to the court because they didn’t have legal status, and the government was seeking to determine if they could stay in the U.S. Munson reviews these cases and determines if they qualify for relief or a longer-term immigration status. But that relief has been rare in Hartford’s immigration court so far this year. Hartford’s immigration court has hit a record removal rate so far in 2026, with judges issuing 2,858 removal orders Jan. 1 to June 1 — sending more individuals or families out of the country than ever before during the first five months of the year. Munson herself closed more than 1,700 cases from Jan. 1 to June 1; in 92% of the cases she closed, she ordered the person’s removal. These cases are decided primarily by two immigration judges presiding over the Hartford courtroom — Assistant Chief Immigration Judge Munson and Immigration Judge Daniel Morris. Together, the two have closed more than 2,650 cases in five months — more than in previous years, when the court typically had five judges hearing cases at any given time. Michael Doyle, managing director of legal services for Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services in Connecticut, said he believes the higher rate of removal orders this year is a result of federal changes under the Trump administration that have trickled down to Hartford. “The way that they’re operating on the ground is a lot of chaos, but above, the pressure and strategy is [to] reduce the case dockets, remove as many people as possible, and reduce the backlog to show that people are basically getting kicked out of the country,” said Doyle, who has decades of experience litigating deportation actions in the state. “It’s sad and sick, but that’s exactly what’s happening every single day.” Who’s hearing cases in Hartford? Before 2026, five judges heard immigration cases consistently each year in Hartford. Today, just one of the original five judges — Morris — is still hearing cases in the court. Former Hartford immigration Judge Ted Doolittle was terminated from his position in September during a wave of immigration judge firings across the U.S. Michael Straus and Philip Verrillo, both former Hartford immigration judges, retired from their positions last year, and Judge Jonathan Goulding is no longer listed. These changes were not unusual in immigration courts around the country. Many entered 2026 short on judges. Hartford began the year with just one judge overseeing the court, according to an NPR analysis. With fewer judges hearing more cases, Doyle said, he believes it might be “physically impossible” to honor everyone’s due process rights, and that could be what’s driving the higher removal rates. “They were down to one [judge] not too long ago, with Verrillo and Straus retiring,” Doyle said. “The result is horrible, but it’s also exactly what they want. It works.” Munson, who has issued more than 1,600 removal orders this year, decided more cases in the first five months of 2026 than any Hartford judge in the same period. Morris closed the second-most cases this year — around 900 cases. He has an 85% removal rate. A spokesperson from the U.S. Department of Justice said reducing the immigration court backlog is “one of the highest priorities” of the Trump administration. Currently, there are more than 3.2 million pending immigration cases nationally, according to data from TRAC. But the Trump administration is trying to do more with less. There were 587 immigration judges in the nation as of the second quarter of 2026, compared to 634 in 2025 and 735 in 2024. The last time there were fewer than 600 immigration judges nationally was in 2021. With only two judges, Hartford closed fewer cases in the first five months of 2026 than the same time frame in recent years. The DOJ appointed a third judge, Sarah Sawwan, to Hartford in late May, according to the Executive Office of Immigration Review website. The court also uses temporary judges. “As it continues to add new immigration judges, EOIR will continue to make scheduling adjustments to ensure all cases are handled in a timely and lawful manner,” a spokesperson for EOIR said. Even though more judges are being hired, there are other staffing constraints in the Hartford immigration court. “We thought the judges was the end of it, but we’ve seen staff go,” said Sheila Hayre, a clinical professor of law at Quinnipiac University School of Law who specializes in immigration. Hayre, who was formerly a staff attorney with New Haven Legal Assistance Association, said someone who works at the court recently told her, “People are jumping ship as quickly as possible.” Hayre and Doyle say there’s a shortage of clerks and other administrative staff. The EOIR spokesperson declined to comment on personnel matters. There are no staff currently listed on the Hartford immigration court directory. Last year, the directory listed a court administrator, staff assistant, and multiple clerk phone numbers, according to an archived version of the site from February 2025. The lack of court staff has led to more confusion in the courtroom, according to both Hayre and Doyle. Hearings have been changed from video call to in-person, dates have been adjusted, and in at least one instance, court was canceled on a day Hayre had planned to bring her class in to observe the proceedings. “Due process is only is is honored when they have time, and occasionally when they’re inclined,” Doyle said. “I’d like to believe that there are some severe, severe cases where they actually will take a time out. But to be honest, I don’t think that’s true, because they’re just files that go by.” What decisions are being made? Most years, few immigration cases are granted relief or a longer-term immigration status. Relief includes things like asylum, cancelling removal, or a status adjustment that allows people to extend their stay. This year, the relief grant rate hit an all-time low. Less than 1.4% of all cases decided this year have been granted relief, and more than 88% of cases ended in a removal order — an all-time high. In order to receive relief of any kind, people have to apply. But federal changes have made the process more difficult and more expensive. These trends aren’t specific to Hartford. The White House has been boasting about the decline in asylum grant rates and the high rate of removal orders across the country. Hearings where the individual called to court doesn’t show up, known as “in absentia” hearings, could be pushing this number up. Missing a court date can result in a removal order, Doyle said. This year, many more closed cases have been marked “in absentia” on the most recent court date. And on June 1, for example, of the roughly 50 names called during Judge Munson’s master calendar hearing — a preliminary, procedural immigration hearing — fewer than half were present in the courtroom. For an in absentia order to be issued, the immigration judge must find that the person was properly notified. Those called to court received a notice to appear, either in person or through the mail. This notice marks the beginning of immigration court proceedings and often includes a court date for a master calendar hearing. But nationally, the number of in absentia orders issued have increased dramatically under the Trump administration. There are an average of 26,174 issued monthly, according to 2026 national EOIR data. This is an increase of more than 7,500 compared to 2024. Across the nation, some lawyers worry that immigrants may not know their court date has been moved up or scheduled without proper notice, according to NPR. Doyle said the courts are just “churning and burning” through master calendar hearings, with dates being moved up with little notice. “Well, just yesterday and the day before, people are starting to get notices where they had a hearing set for like June 20 and it was remote, and now it’s June 10th, and it’s live,” Doyle told the CT Mirror on June 4. A master calendar hearing is a way to get immigrants the necessary resources they need. In Hartford, immigrants received a list of attorneys, a notice of their next court date and a change of address form. Typically, there are fewer than 50 people scheduled for a single master calendar hearing. The Hartford immigration court room is small and can’t hold more than that. “Certainly EOIR understands that if they call 40 people, only 20 people are going to show up,” Doyle said. “That’s just the averages, and so they can expect a bunch of in-absentia orders and kick people out.” But Hartford is also said to be scheduling “mega” master calendar hearings, or hearings involving 100 or more people at a time, according to Doyle. While master calendar hearings do not involve much interaction between the judge and the case holder, this could result in even higher rates removal orders if people do not show up to a court date, he said. “What is already an egregiously low standard for due process in immigration court is being eviscerated,” Hayre said. ...read more read less