Beginning in August 2010, all non-detained removal cases from St. Louis will be moved to the Kanas City Immigration Court. Previously, the St. Louis cases were handled by televideo from the Immigration Court in Oakdale, Louisiana. The Department of Homeland Security office which housed the televideo courtroom in St. Louis will no longer house non-detained hearings. Any new non-detained cases arising in St. Louis will be handled in Kansas City. This is a huge change in procedures, and is likely to lead to a significant backlog in cases in Kansas City, as well as the difficulty in those from St. Louis coming to Kansas City for hearings.
A large part of our practice involves representing individuals before the Immigration Court, and we could of course take on cases from St. Louis as well. Already, the Kansas City Immigration Court has jurisdiction over all cases arising out of the entire state of Kansas, and the Western half of Missouri. After the new procedures are in place, the court will take on all cases from Kansas and all of Missouri, except for detained cases from Eastern Missouri.
Our office is a mile away from the Kansas City Immigration Court, and we would be happy to assist any individuals from the St. Louis area with their deportation cases. Here is the FAQ from the Kansas City Immigration Court:
NOTICE EFFECTIVE AUGUST 2010:
NON-DETAINED ST. LOUIS CASES WILL BE HEARD
AT THE KANSAS CITY IMMIGRATION COURT
• The Immigration Court hearing site located in the Department of Homeland Security Office in St. Louis has been closed for an extended period due to renovations at the building. Due to this continuing closure, the non-detained immigration hearings that had been scheduled to be heard in St. Louis through video-teleconferencing will be heard at the Kansas City Immigration Court.
• All non-detained cases currently scheduled for hearings in St. Louis will be rescheduled. The non-detained cases will be scheduled to appear at the Kansas City Immigration Court beginning in August of 2010. Attorneys and respondents will be notified of the rescheduled hearing date and time of their hearings. New non-detained cases for respondents residing in the St. Louis area will be heard at the Kansas City Immigration Court.
• The Kansas City Immigration Judges will entertain written pleadings filed by attorneys in lieu of a live appearance at a Master Calendar. The Kansas City Immigration Judges will also entertain motions filed by attorneys for telephonic appearances at a Master Calendar.
• Detained hearings for St. Louis will continue to be heard by the Oakdale Immigration Court through video-teleconferencing until further notice. If a respondent is released from Department of Homeland Security custody, his/her case will be transferred to the Kansas City Immigration Court upon release as there is no space in St. Louis to accommodate non-detained hearings.
• All case related filings and correspondence for St. Louis non-detained cases should be directed to the Kansas City Immigration Court. The Kansas City Immigration Court address is:
2345 Grand Boulevard, Suite 525,
Kansas City, Missouri 64108
• Filing hours for in person submissions are from 8 AM until Noon and then from 12:30 until 4:30 PM.
• Cases related questions may be directed to the Kansas City Immigration Court at: (816) 581-5000.
• Information concerning the court may be found at the court’s website: http://www.justice.gov/eoir/sibpages/kan/kanmain.htm.