Miami Immigration Court Mandates In-Person Hearings Starting September 8
Starting September 8, 2026, immigrants with pending cases before the Miami Immigration Court will be required to attend their hearings in person. This change eliminates the option for videoconference attendance using the Cisco WebEx platform, which had been available since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new rule applies exclusively to those under the jurisdiction of Miami and affects both preliminary (Master) and substantive (Individual) hearings. Immigration attorney José A. Guerrero confirmed this change in several videos, warning that failing to appear at a scheduled hearing can result in a deportation order in absentia.
According to data from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), 68% of deportation orders against Cubans in June 2026 were for individuals who did not appear in court. This figure is significant, given that immigration courts have rapidly advanced hearing dates for Cubans with Form I-220A, often reassigning cases initially scheduled for 2028 and 2029 to immediate dates.