The ABA Commission on Immigration’s (COI) Immigration Court Observation & Awareness Project (“Project”) is an opportunity for volunteers to learn firsthand about the immigration court system, while helping identify patterns and practices that will inform advocacy to support access to counsel and due process rights for noncitizens. 

This is an independent, unsupervised volunteer opportunity. Your next step is to complete the online training course that provides detailed information about how to engage in court observation. Volunteers do not need to sign up for shifts with the Commission on Immigration. Instead, you pick the dates and times that work best for your schedule and go to court when convenient for you. We anticipate that you will need to commit to approximately 5-7 hours of volunteer time for this project (including the time to review all training materials). Volunteers do not need any previous experience with immigration law, and do not need to be lawyers or other legal professionals.

Volunteers will observe Master Calendar Hearings (which are short preliminary hearings in immigration court) and record observations using the forms provided.

Thank you for volunteering for this important project. By participating in the Immigration Court Observation & Awareness with this project, you are helping raise crucial awareness around issues that impact the due process rights of immigrants and asylum-seekers.