Many undocumented N. TX kids miss first immigration hearing

My Fox DFW

President Obama has said most of the undocumented children in the U.S. from Central America will not be allowed to stay.

The process of deciding which ones will stay and which ones will go is often decided in court, but Tuesday, 18 of 20 undocumented children failed to show up to their first immigration hearing in Dallas federal court.  

That’s an unusually high number that raises concerns that it could be a trend.

Paul Zoltan, an immigration attorney, says it’s difficult to make a case for asylum, but kids and their guardians should show up and try.

“It’s in everyone’s interest to attend hearings and at least try,” said Zoltan.

He does not think that the high number of no-shows is the beginning of a trend.

“I think the notion that the children’s arrival in violation of our laws means they are scofflaws, that they’ve simply blown off this hearing because they have no respect for America’s laws, I think that’s nonsense,” said Zoltan.

As far as the reason behind the no-shows, Zoltan says there could have been an issue in the notification process, or sometimes, rumors circulate that they’ll be immediately deported as soon as they show up.

Zoltan also worries about the lack of legal representation for most of the kids.

Even though a lot of attorneys are stopping forward to help, there’s still an overwhelming number of kids and cases.

The judge could have issued immediate deportation orders as far as Tuesday’s no-shows are concerned, but he chose not to, and reset the hearing for next month instead.

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/26097709/many-undocumented-n-tx-kids-miss-first-immigration-hearing