U.S. Department of Justice

Executive Office for Immigration Review

Office of the Director

5107 Leesburg Pike, Suite 2400

Falls Church, Virginia 22041

NEWS RELEASE Contact: Office of Public Affairs (703) 305-0289 Fax: (703) 605-0443

April 17, 1998

BIA to Hear Oral Arguments for First Time Outside Headquarters

A panel of three members of the Board of Immigration Appeals will travel to Los Angeles, CA, on April 21-23, 1998, to hear oral arguments in 12 pending appellate cases. Chairman Paul W. Schmidt and Board Members Lauren Mathon and John Guendelsberger will hear the oral arguments in the ceremonial courtroom of the Immigration Court at 606 S. Olive Street in Los Angeles.

The Board has scheduled these oral arguments for the first time ever outside its headquarters in Falls Church, VA, as part of an initiative to make the immigration appeals process, including oral argument, more accessible to aliens and their attorneys in other parts of the country. It is part of a larger outreach effort by the Executive Office for Immigration Review to improve customer service overall.

The 12 cases scheduled to be heard over the three-day period include 3 deportation cases, 2 exclusion cases, and 7 asylum cases, each of which involve interesting or novel aspects of law suitable for oral argument. The exclusion and asylum cases are closed to the public unless the appellants waive the rule and request or permit them to be open.

After rendering decisions in these cases, the Board will evaluate the effectiveness of hearing oral arguments away from headquarters and to consider whether they should be scheduled in other field locations.

--EOIR--