Houston is one of the busiest immigration court cities in the country. The court handles removal cases, asylum hearings, cancellation of removal, and other proceedings involving people who are in the United States without lawful status or who have been placed in removal proceedings by the Department of Homeland Security. If you or a family member has received a Notice to Appear, understanding how the Houston Immigration Court operates is the first step.
Where the Houston Immigration Court Is Located
The Houston Immigration Court operates out of two locations. The main court is at 600 Jefferson Street, Houston, TX 77002. A second immigration court operates at the Port Isabel Service Processing Center in Los Fresnos, Texas, which handles detained cases for individuals held in ICE custody in the surrounding area.
Cases at the downtown Houston court are non-detained — meaning the respondent is not in government custody and appears voluntarily. Cases at Port Isabel involve detained individuals and follow a faster, more restricted schedule.
How a Case Gets to Immigration Court
DHS initiates removal proceedings by filing a Notice to Appear (NTA) with the immigration court. The NTA lists the factual allegations against you and the legal grounds for removal. You receive a copy. The NTA triggers the formal removal process and ends any pending status with USCIS in most circumstances.
Once DHS files the NTA with the court, the court schedules a master calendar hearing — the initial appearance where the immigration judge sets the schedule for the case. This first hearing is often not the hearing where evidence is presented. The judge uses it to confirm what issues are in dispute, what relief you are applying for, and when the individual merits hearing will occur.
Master Calendar Hearings
The master calendar hearing is administrative. Multiple cases are called in the same room. It typically lasts 5 to 15 minutes per case. The judge confirms whether you have received the NTA, whether you admit or deny the allegations, and what relief you are seeking. If you want to apply for any relief from removal — such as cancellation of removal, asylum, adjustment of status, or voluntary departure — you identify that at the master hearing and the judge sets deadlines for filing applications.
You should have an attorney at the master calendar hearing if at all possible. What you say at the first hearing is on the record and affects your case going forward.
Merits Hearings
The individual merits hearing is the actual trial. You testify, present evidence, and your attorney argues your case. DHS is represented by a government attorney who may cross-examine you and challenge your evidence. The immigration judge evaluates everything and issues a decision — either granting relief or ordering removal.
Houston immigration court wait times for a merits hearing have ranged from one to five years depending on the type of case, the judge assigned, and the court’s current docket. The EOIR field offices page lists contact information for each immigration court location.
How to Find Your Court Date
If you have a case in immigration court, you can call the EOIR automated case status line at 1-800-898-7180. Enter your nine-digit A-number (Alien Registration Number) when prompted. The system will give you your next hearing date, the court location, and other case status information. You can also check online at acis.eoir.justice.gov.
Missing a court date results in an order of removal entered in your absence. If you receive an in absentia removal order, it is very difficult to reopen — and it permanently damages any future immigration case.
What Happens If the Judge Orders Removal
If the immigration judge denies all relief and orders removal, you can appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA). You have 30 days from the date of the judge’s decision to file a Notice of Appeal. If the BIA also denies your case, you can petition for review in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which covers Texas.
Appeals extend the process significantly and provide additional opportunities for relief in the right case. Not every denial is worth appealing — the decision depends on whether there is a legal error in the judge’s decision, not just whether the outcome was unfavorable.
Detained Cases
Detained cases move faster and the stakes are higher. If ICE has taken someone into custody, they may have a bond hearing before the immigration judge before their removal case proceeds. Bond is not guaranteed — the judge considers flight risk and danger to the community. For detained cases, legal help from the first day is critical because detained hearings can be scheduled within days or weeks.
Getting Legal Help for an Immigration Court Case
Representing yourself in immigration court is technically allowed but rarely advisable. The legal standards, procedural rules, and evidentiary requirements are as complex as any federal court proceeding. The government’s attorney knows immigration law. An immigration attorney who practices in Houston immigration court regularly knows the judges, the local rules, and what arguments work.
Adan G. Vega & Associates has represented clients before the Houston Immigration Court for over 45 years. If you or a family member has received a Notice to Appear or has an upcoming court date, call (713) 527-9606 to discuss your options. Our Houston deportation defense attorneys handle both non-detained and detained cases.
Resources
The EOIR website has court locations, forms, and the Immigration Court Practice Manual. The EOIR automated case information system lets you look up hearing dates using your A-number.
Reviewed by Adan Vega, Board-Certified Immigration Attorney, Founding Partner · Updated
About the author
Board-Certified Immigration Attorney, Founding Partner · Texas Board-Certified Specialist in Immigration and Nationality Law — Texas Board of Legal Specialization (1985); Admitted, U.S. Supreme Court (2004); Admitted, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (1980); J.D., The University of Texas at Austin School of Law (1979); B.A., Rice University (1976); Member, American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) (1982); Texas Super Lawyers — Thomson Reuters (2004); Special Service Award — Migration and Refugee Services, United States Catholic Conference
Adan G. Vega is a Board-Certified Immigration Attorney and the founding partner of Vega & Associates, PLLC in Houston, Texas. He has practiced immigration and nationality law exclusively for more than 45 years, making him one of the longest-serving immigration attorneys in Houston. He earned a B.A. from Rice University in 1976 and a J.D. from the University of Texas at Austin School of Law in 1979. In 1985 the Texas Board of Legal Specialization awarded him a Certificate of Special Competence in Immigration and Nationality Law, authorizing the title Board Certified Specialist. He is admitted to practice before the Texas state courts, the EOIR Immigration Courts, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court, and has presented oral argument in the Fifth Circuit on three occasions, including one published opinion.
On August 23, 1988, Vega testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and International Law, on the effects of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. He has served as immigration legal counsel to foreign governments in the United States, including the governments of Mexico and El Salvador, and to multinational companies on employment-based immigration.
A member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association since 1982, he co-chaired the AILA Texas Chapter Conference in 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2004, and has lectured on immigration law at AILA conferences and at the University of Texas. He authored the Guide of United States History and Government in 1989. The Migration and Refugee Services of the United States Catholic Conference presented him with a special service award for outstanding commitment and dedicated service to newcomers.
Vega was a founder and initial director of the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in 1984, served as President of Consejo Hispano from 1987 to 1988, and has served as special immigration legal counsel, board director, vice president and president of the Cámara de Empresarios Latinos de Houston. He has provided pro bono immigration services to Texas's indigent community throughout his career. He has been recognized as a Top Texas Lawyer by Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters) since 2004. He represents individuals, families and businesses before USCIS, the Immigration Courts, the Board of Immigration Appeals and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and is bilingual in English and Spanish.
