All migrants with pending cases before the Immigration Court in Miami must appear in person for their hearings starting from September 8, 2026, according to journalist Daniel Benítez and confirmed by several law firms on social media, citing an official communication from the Chief Immigration Judge Assistant to the attorneys in the area.
The measure definitively eliminates the option to attend via video call through the Cisco WebEx platform, a modality that had been available since the COVID-19 pandemic and remained as an alternative in subsequent years for certain cases.
"Starting from September 8, 2026, all migrants with pending cases before the Immigration Court in Miami, Florida, will have their hearings in person, rather than virtually, as authorities have informed immigration attorneys," Benítez stated in his post.
The provision covers both preliminary hearings (Master) and substantive hearings (Individual), and it applies exclusively to those under the jurisdiction of Miami.
"This is only for individuals under the jurisdiction of Miami. For now, it is only being implemented here, so if you live in another state or jurisdiction, you should check with your court," Benítez clarified.
One of the most serious risks faced by migrants is failing to appear for their hearing: missing it can result in an order of deportation in absentia.
"It is important to know in advance your appointment date, time, and location. Missing your court appointment may result in a deportation in absentia," emphasized Benítez, who described the situation as urgent and noted that "this new action has prompted reactions of concern and great fear among migrants due to the arrests that have occurred in immigration courts across the country."
The immigration lawyer José A. Guerrero confirmed the change in several videos. “We were informed that starting September 8, at the Immigration Court in Miami, Florida, in the cases of non-detained individuals, all hearings will be in person. You must appear in person.”
At the same time, it warned asylum seekers to be attentive to their appointments, in case the date is moved up.
"You need to verify the dates you have in your court". Today, a client visited us and found out for himself that his hearing had been rescheduled, and neither he nor I had received a notification," he warned.
In his message, he emphasized the importance of not missing the asylum hearing, as the implications would be severe: "You will be given a deportation order in absentia, and that’s basically the end of everything. You lost your case without even saying a word."
According to data from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), the 68% of the deportation orders issued against Cubans in June 2026 were precisely for individuals who did not appear.
This figure takes on special significance in the current context. The immigration courts have significantly advanced hearing dates for Cubans with form I-220A, with cases that were scheduled for 2028 and 2029 reassigned to immediate dates.
The immigration attorney Liudmila Marcelo warned in July in an interview with CiberCuba that the speeding up of the processes is a deliberate strategy: "They are advancing the Courts so much, so much, so much that it makes me think they want to do all of this before the I-220A is parole; to have the largest number of deportations possible."
The announcement of mandatory in-person attendance intensifies the dilemma that thousands of migrants are already facing. From January 2025 to April 2026, the ICE office in Miami recorded over 41,000 detentions, with an average of 120 arrests per day.
Only in July 2026, ICE processed nearly 6,000 people in detention centers in the area.
Although a federal judge in California suspended in June 2026 the ICE policies that authorized widespread arrests in immigration courts, arrests in limited circumstances continued, instilling fear among those who must appear in person.
For those who have hearings with I-220A and could be sent to court, the new requirement adds additional pressure to a system that is already at its breaking point.
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