From the Maryland Population Research Center
"Legal representation is essential for noncitizens seeking relief in U.S. immigration courts, yet the federal government does not provide counsel. This paper presents findings from a randomized controlled trial in which law students were assigned to observe immigration judges presiding over removal hearings. We investigate the extent to which an observer’s presence and the message communicated by the observer to the judge influence whether a respondent seeks and secures legal representation. The results show that judicial observation significantly increases the likelihood that judges adjourn initial hearings to give respondents time to secure counsel and increases the likelihood that respondents are represented by an attorney in later hearings. Importantly, we document substantial heterogeneity across judges in their baseline propensity to grant continuances and show that this variation shapes how judges respond to being observed."
Petra E. Todd is Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Economics and Chair, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania
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