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) 605-0365
Internet: www.usdoj.gov/eoir ________________________________________________________________________________


February 23, 1999

IMMIGRATION JUDGES TAKE ACTIVE ROLES

IN NATURALIZATION CEREMONIES

MIAMI, FLORIDA-- Immigration Judges administered the oath of citizenship to 6,000 new citizens at two naturalization ceremonies held at the Miami Beach Convention Center today. Immigration Judge Ronald G. Sonom administered the oath to 3,000 new citizens at the 9:00 a.m. ceremony, and Judge Lilliana Torreh-Bayouth administered the oath to 3,000 new citizens at the 1 p.m. ceremony. Participation by Judges Sonom and Torreh-Bayouth was arranged through an agreement between the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) and the Immigration Courts and the district office of the Immigration and Naturalization Service in Miami. As part of this agreement, other Immigration Judges will preside in upcoming ceremonies.

Executive Office for Immigration Review

EOIR is the component of the U.S. Department of Justice that is responsible for developing policies and directing activities related to the conduct of administrative hearings and appellate reviews on a variety of immigration issues, including the determination of individuals' immigration status in the United States. EOIR is headed by a Director who reports to the Deputy Attorney General. Its organization includes the Board of Immigration Appeals, and the Offices of the Chief Immigration Judge and the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer.

Office of the Chief Immigration Judge (OCIJ)

OCIJ is headed by the Chief Immigration Judge, who establishes operating policies for the Immigration Courts and oversees policy implementation in each of those Courts with the help of two Deputy Chief Immigration Judges and eight Assistant Chief Immigration Judges. OCIJ supervises and directs the activities of the Immigration Courts, which handle more than 260,000 immigration matters annually. OCIJ provides overall program direction, articulates policies and procedures, and provides priorities for more than 200 Immigration Judges located in 52 Immigration Courts throughout the nation.

Immigration Judges are responsible for conducting formal administrative proceedings, and act independently in their decision-making capacity; their decisions are administratively final unless appealed or certified to the Board of Immigration Appeals. Immigration Judges conduct hearings concerning the removal of illegal aliens through the United States. Through its Criminal Alien Institutional Hearing Program, OCIJ currently has programs coordinated and in place in more than 40 states, including Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, and selected municipalities and Bureau of Prison facilities to adjudicate the immigration status of alien inmates incarcerated by federal, state, and municipal correctional authorities as a result of convictions for criminal offenses.

Biographical Information

Judge Sonom was appointed Immigration Judge in August 1994. He received his B.A. from Wayne State University in 1970, and his law degree from the University of Miami in 1974. From 1976 to 1994, he worked a General Attorney with the Immigration and Naturalization Service in Miami. From 1975 to 1976, he served as an Associate Attorney with the Law Office of Joseph M. Fitzgerald, also in Miami. From 1974 to 1975, Judge Sonom worked as an Attorney with the Law Office of Korner and Sampson in Coral Gables. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1964 to 1968, and in the Air Force Reserves from 1968 to 1970. Judge Sonom is a member of the Florida Bar.

Judge Torreh-Bayouth was appointed Immigration Judge in December 1995. She received her B.A. from McGill University in 1980, and her law degree from the University of Texas in 1982. From 1987 to 1995, Judge Torreh-Bayouth was in private practice in Miami. Prior to this, she worked as an Attorney with the Law Firms of Greenberg, Traurig, et al. and Finley, Rumble, Wagner, et al., also in Miami. Judge Torreh-Bayouth is a member of the Florida Bar.

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