Illinois’ Democratic Congressional delegation is calling for the end of so-called “mega master” hearings that have packed immigration courts with chaos and led to record numbers of immigrants missing court and becoming targets for deportation.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi denounced the hearings as the “latest effort to weaponize the immigration courts to facilitate mass removals” at the expense of due process, in a five-page letter sent to Attorney General Todd Blanche on Tuesday. The lawmakers repeatedly cited recent Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ reporting in the letter, which was signed by nearly every Illinois Democratic member of Congress.

At Chicago’s Downtown immigration court, Sun-Times and WBEZ reporters documented daily schedules with as many as 185 cases per judge, tiny courtrooms holding dozens more people than they were designed for, and drastically shrinking notice time for immigrants to appear before a judge — with or without a lawyer.

“These so-called mega master hearings appear to be the latest example of policies prioritizing enforcement and deportation quotas over due process, while creating unnecessary fear, confusion, and uncertainty for the communities we represent,” the Illinois Democrats wrote to the Department of Justice, which oversees immigration court. “Immigration proceedings must prioritize fairness and the rule of law, rather than numerical enforcement targets.”

The lawmakers also asked for explanations for the reductions in notice time to appear in court and for guarantees of adequate personnel to handle the steep rise in cases.

“Immigrants have the right to have their case considered, but EOIR has made a mockery of due process in favor of meeting arbitrary deportation quotas,” Durbin said in an email, referring to the Executive Office of Immigration Review, the official name for immigration court. “These ‘mega master’ hearings must be put to an end.”

Krishnamoorthi said, “No one should be railroaded through a proceeding that could determine whether they remain in this country without adequate notice, access to legal counsel, or a real opportunity to make their case. Our letter demands the Administration end these mass hearings and uphold due process.”

But the letter sent to Blanche — confirmed recently as U.S. Attorney General after spending years as President Donald Trump’s personal criminal defense attorney — faces serious limits on what it can accomplish.

Trump’s party still controls both houses of Congress, where Republicans have shown an unwillingness to buck the will of the president who has long prioritized mass deportations. And the administration has not typically responded to such letters in the past.

DOJ officials have previously said in prepared statements that the amped up scheduling is meant to clear backlogs that left immigrants on dockets for years awaiting rulings.

In federal immigration court, “master hearings” are procedural hearings meant to inform non-citizens of their rights and responsibilities as they seek to prove why they should be allowed to stay in the United States.

But in late May, the usual groupings of 30 to 40 immigrants on a judge’s morning calendar ballooned upwards of 100. WBEZ and the Sun-Times showed that in June, for the first time since 2019, more immigrants missed court than appeared in the downtown Chicago courthouse, resulting in record orders for their removal in their absence.

Chicago stood out with the most mega hearings in June in its courthouse at 55 E. Monroe, as well as the most scheduled at the same time.