What You Need to Know

• A "mega-master" is a master calendar hearing with 100 or more people scheduled at the same time. The format is normal. The scale is not. Before this spring, a first hearing usually involved two or three dozen people.

• They mostly target people without lawyers. Attorneys report these dockets are built around unrepresented respondents, who are least able to catch errors or push back.

• Your date can be moved up with little or no notice. Many of these cases were rescheduled from 2027, 2028, or 2029. In several cities, the only place the new date appeared was the online portal, and some attorneys did not receive alerts either.

• You may not know your hearing is a mega-master until you arrive. The size and the crowding are usually not announced in advance.

• Missing your hearing almost always means a deportation order. If you are absent when your name or A-number is called, the judge can issue an "in absentia" removal order, which takes effect immediately.

• Arriving late can count as missing. In packed dockets, people who arrive after roll call have been ordered removed.

• You keep your rights. You have the right to fight your case, to ask for time to find or consult a lawyer, and to decline to sign anything you do not understand.

What Is a Master Calendar Hearing?

A master calendar hearing, sometimes shortened to "MCH" or "master," is the first procedural stage of a case in immigration court. It is roughly the immigration equivalent of an arraignment. At this hearing you respond to the charges the government filed against you in a Notice to Appear, the judge may look at whether you qualify for relief such as asylum or a family-based green card, and future hearing dates are set. Master hearings have always grouped many people in one courtroom. Normally, the judge calls people up one at a time by A-number and addresses each case individually.

What Makes a "Mega-Master" Different

Three things set these hearings apart, and each one raises the odds of a bad outcome.

• Volume. Packing 100 or more cases into one session leaves a judge a minute or two per person, which makes real individual review nearly impossible.

• Lack of notice. Cases pulled forward by years, sometimes with no mailed or electronic notice, mean people simply do not know to show up.

• How they are run. Reports vary by city. Court staff, not the judge, may run a roll call. People may be handed forms to complete under time pressure, including a "pleading" form that responds to the charges against them. Some judges are refusing requests to appear by video, forcing people to come in person. In every version, anyone not present when called gets a removal order.

Why This Matters for Afghan Allies

This section is AfghanEvac's assessment of the specific risk to our community.

Afghan allies sit at the intersection of every vulnerability these hearings exploit. Temporary Protected Status for Afghanistan ended on July 14, 2025, and humanitarian parole protections have been rolled back, pushing more allies into or toward removal proceedings. Many allies filed asylum or related applications with court dates set for 2027 through 2029, which is exactly the group now being moved up.

• Language and self-representation are the exact failure modes. If you cannot hear your A-number over the noise, cannot follow instructions given in English, or sign a form you do not understand, the system treats that as your problem.

• In-person requirements raise the stakes. Where judges require people to appear in person, allies face crowded courthouses and tense conditions. Not appearing is worse, because it almost guarantees a removal order.

If You Missed or Were Late

• If you are late but the hearing is still going on that day, ask the court to reopen your case immediately. It is sometimes possible to undo an in absentia order the same day, before the judge has finished the docket.

• If you never received notice of the new date, there is no deadline to ask the court to reopen, and no filing fee for that motion. A motion based on lack of proper notice can be filed at any time. This is often the strongest path for people caught by a moved-up mega-master date.

• If you missed for another serious reason, you generally have 180 days. A motion based on "exceptional circumstances" must usually be filed within 180 days of the order.

• Reopening can otherwise be costly and slow. A standard motion to reopen now carries a filing fee of roughly $1,000 or more, recently raised from $145, which can be waived if you cannot afford it.

• A removal order puts you at real risk. It can lead to fast detention and deportation, can bar you from status or reentry for years, and can carry a $5,130 fine if you are later detained, which DHS has proposed raising to $18,000.

• Document everything. Save proof of why you could not appear or were late, and any evidence that you did not receive notice.

• Talk to a lawyer right away. The deadlines are strict and the process is technical. You can check whether you already have a removal order at acis.eoir.justice.gov or 1-800-898-7180.

How to Prepare

• Have a lawyer or accredited representative with you if you possibly can. Representation is your strongest protection at a mega-master. A lawyer gets electronic alerts when your date moves, can object to rushed mass procedures, and can keep you from signing away your rights. Find one now, before your date is moved up, not after. If you cannot retain one, ask the judge for time to find one before anything is decided in your case.

  • You can look up pro bono legal service providers at https://www.justice.gov/eoir/file/probonofulllist/dl

• Check your case status daily. Use acis.eoir.justice.gov or call 1-800-898-7180 with your A-number and country of citizenship.

• Keep your address current with the court. If you have moved, file a change of address, Form EOIR-33, right away, because notices go to the address on file. You can start here: https://go.afghanevac.org/eoir33.

• Arrive at least one hour early. Build in time for security lines and crowded hallways. Late can be treated the same as absent.

• Clear your whole day. These hearings can run for hours. Arrange childcare, and let work know you may be gone a long time.

• Bring water, a packable snack, and your documents. Have your A-number, any notices, and proof of your address with you.

• Plan extra time for parking if you drive to the courthouse.

• Make sure you are heard. Listen for your name and A-number, and if you cannot hear or understand, tell the court and ask for an interpreter. Do not leave until you are sure your case was handled.

• Do not sign anything you do not understand. You have the right to ask for time to consult a lawyer before signing any document, including a pleading form.

What the Government Says, and Why It Does Not Hold

The Justice Department frames mega-masters as backlog reduction, and points to more than three million pending cases and a new, larger class of immigration judges. The backlog is a real problem. But speed achieved by moving dates without notice, denying people interpreters and time, and converting missed appearances into deportation orders is not fairness. It is the mass production of removal orders against people who never got a real chance to be heard. The backlog is the government's to manage, and the cost should not be paid in due process.

Talk to a Lawyer

This explainer is general information, not legal advice, and every case is different. If you have an immigration court case, consult a qualified immigration attorney or a DOJ-accredited representative about your specific situation as soon as possible.

You can lookup Pro Bono legal service providers at https://www.justice.gov/eoir/file/probonofulllist/dl

We do not provide legal services but AfghanEvac and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America lead a program called Battle Buddies, where veterans, frontline civilians, and evacuation volunteers will show up to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our allies in immigration court and other immigration system interactions. Learn more at afghanevac.org/battle-buddies.

If you are an Afghan ally with an upcoming court date or immigration system interaction, let us know at afghanevac.org/appointment

Key Takeaways

• A "mega-master" is a master calendar hearing with 100 or more people, used to move cases fast and generate removal orders.

• Your hearing date can move up by years with little or no notice. Check acis.eoir.justice.gov or 1-800-898-7180 often.

• Keep your address current with the court using Form EOIR-33.

• Arrive at least one hour early, clear your day, and bring your documents.

• Missing or being late almost always means an in absentia removal order, which takes effect immediately.

• If you never got notice, there is no deadline to ask the court to reopen. If you had another serious reason, you usually have 180 days.

• Never sign a form you do not understand. Ask for time and a lawyer.

• Afghan allies in immigration court, especially those without a lawyer, are among the most exposed. Get legal help now.