Filed Date: March 24, 2026
Case Ongoing
Clearinghouse coding in progress
On March 24, 2026, Hines Immigration Law, PLLC, and The Advocates for Human Rights filed suit in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the EOIR Director, and U.S. Attorney General Pamela J. Bondi. The plaintiffs, consisting of a private immigration law firm in Roseville, Minnesota, and a Minneapolis-based nonprofit organization providing free legal representation to low-income immigrants, challenged the defendants' implementation of what they termed a "Somali Fast-Track Policy" in late January 2026⁻. According to the complaint, this policy abruptly fast-tracked immigration proceedings for non-detained Somali nationals on a dedicated national docket before a handpicked subset of immigration judges. The plaintiffs alleged that the defendants truncated the timeline for Somali immigrants to consult with counsel and establish their claims by scheduling master calendar hearings with as little as one week's notice and individual merits hearings with as little as one month's notice. They further contended that all or nearly all hearings were assigned to a small subset of immigration judges, many with higher-than-average removal rates, who were physically located outside the relevant jurisdictions and conducted proceedings remotely via Webex⁻. The lawsuit raised five counts, including violations of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) for being contrary to law and arbitrary and capricious, violations of the Fifth Amendment Due Process and Equal Protection clauses, and violations of the First Amendment's Free Speech and Association protections⁻. The plaintiffs sought comprehensive relief, including a stay of the policy, preliminary and permanent injunctive relief, an order declaring the policy unlawful and vacating it, and attorney fees.
This case is ongoing.
Summary Authors
Claire Pollard (3/27/2026)
For PACER's information on parties and their attorneys, see: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72618270/parties/hines-immigration-law-pllc-v-executive-office-for-immigration-review/
Nichols, Carl John (District of Columbia)
Jasrasaria, Jyoti (District of Columbia)
Rodriguez, Yenisey (District of Columbia)
Thurston, Robin F. (District of Columbia)
Stratton, Kimberly (District of Columbia)
See docket on RECAP: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72618270/hines-immigration-law-pllc-v-executive-office-for-immigration-review/
Last updated March 27, 2026, 3:07 p.m.
State / Territory:
Case Type(s):
Special Collection(s):
Trump Administration 2.0: Challenges to the Government
Key Dates
Filing Date: March 24, 2026
Case Ongoing: Yes
Case Details
Other Dockets:
District of District of Columbia 1:26-cv-01018
Available Documents:
Case Summary of Hines Immigration Law, PLLC v. Executive Office for Immigration Review, Civil Rights Litig. Clearinghouse, https://clearinghouse.net/case/47974/ (last updated 3/27/2026).