Miami Immigration Court Lawyer — Deportation Defense
Got a Notice to Appear for the Miami or Krome immigration court? Here is what happens next — and what to do in the first 72 hours.
Got a Notice to Appear for Miami? Here is what happens next
A Notice to Appear starts a deportation (removal) case in immigration court. In South Florida, EOIR lists two courts: the Miami Immigration Court downtown (333 S. Miami Avenue) for people who are not detained, and the Miami Krome (Detained) Immigration Court inside the Krome North Processing Center, which also holds hearings at the Broward Transitional Center. Your notice decides which court and which hearing format apply. Your first hearing is a short master calendar hearing; the decisive one is the individual (merits) hearing. Missing any hearing can mean a removal order in your absence.
The Notice to Appear is Form I-862, issued by the Department of Homeland Security. Your case is heard by an immigration judge of EOIR, part of the Department of Justice, under the procedure in INA §240. By statute the first hearing cannot be set earlier than 10 days after the NTA is served unless you ask in writing for an earlier date, and you have the right to a lawyer — but not one paid for by the government.
The only other Florida court on EOIR's list is the Orlando Immigration Court; if your case has been moved, go where your most recent notice says. Always confirm your current court, date and hearing format with your A-number.
Miami-area immigration courts
Addresses and phone numbers as published by EOIR, checked 2026-10-23. Courts can close or move hearings; check EOIR's operational-status page before you travel.
Miami Immigration Court (downtown)
One Riverview Square, 333 S. Miami Avenue, Suite 700, Miami, FL 33130
305-789-4221
EOIR notes that elevator access to the court starts at 7:30 a.m. and ends at 4:30 p.m., with paid public parking next to the building.
Official EOIR court page →Miami Krome (Detained) Immigration Court
Krome North Processing Center, 18201 SW 12th Street, Miami, FL 33194
786-422-8700
Located inside a DHS-controlled detention facility in west Miami-Dade. EOIR also lists the Broward Transitional Center (3900 N. Powerline Road, Pompano Beach) as a hearing location for this court.
Official EOIR court page →What to do right after you get the NTA
- 1Read the whole NTA: your A-number (9 digits), DHS's factual allegations about you, and the charges (the legal grounds for removal). Write down the court address, date and time. If the date says "to be set," the date will come in a separate hearing notice.
- 2Check your case on EOIR Automated Case Information or at 1-800-898-7180, and re-check before every hearing — dates, courtrooms and format (in person or video) change.
- 3Make sure the court has your correct address. After any move, file Form EOIR-33/IC with the court within five days — hearing notices go only to the last address you gave.
- 4If you fear return to your country, do not wait: an asylum application (Form I-589) generally must be filed within one year of your last arrival, and exceptions are narrow.
- 5Do not sign ICE paperwork you do not understand (for example, agreeing to voluntary departure or to removal) before you speak with a lawyer.
- 6Gather the documents listed below and book a consultation before your first hearing, so a lawyer has time to file a notice of appearance (Form EOIR-28).
What to bring to your consultation and to court
- ✓The NTA and every notice from the court, ICE or USCIS (envelopes too — postmarks can matter)
- ✓Passport, visas, I-94 record and any other entry or parole documents
- ✓Every immigration application you or a relative filed, with receipts, approvals and denials
- ✓Certified court dispositions for any arrest or citation, even if dismissed
- ✓Proof of family ties and time in the U.S.: birth and marriage certificates, tax returns, leases, school records
- ✓Evidence of harm or threats if you fear return — with certified English translations, which the court requires for foreign-language documents
- ✓Government-issued photo ID for the day of the hearing
Master calendar vs. individual hearing
Master calendar hearing
A short hearing, often alongside dozens of other cases. The judge explains your right to a lawyer and the charges, takes pleadings — you admit or deny the allegations and the charges in the NTA — asks what relief you will seek, and sets filing deadlines.
You normally do not testify here. But this is where strategy is set: what is conceded and what relief is named shapes the rest of the case. You must attend, even with a lawyer, unless the judge has excused you.
Individual (merits) hearing
The full evidentiary hearing on your application — for example asylum, withholding of removal, protection under the Convention Against Torture, or cancellation of removal. You and your witnesses testify under oath, the DHS attorney cross-examines, and the judge weighs the evidence and your credibility.
Applications, exhibits and witness lists are filed in advance by the judge's deadlines. The decision may be given orally at the end or later in writing, and it can be appealed to the Board of Immigration Appeals.
If you miss a hearing after proper notice, the judge can order you removed in absentia. Such an order can be reopened only in limited situations — for example, exceptional circumstances raised within 180 days, or lack of proper notice — so treat every hearing date as fixed. Motion to reopen →
Detained vs. non-detained cases
Not detained
Your case will usually be heard at the Miami Immigration Court downtown. Non-detained dockets move slowly, and individual hearings are often set far in the future — time to build evidence, but also time in which addresses change and notices get missed.
Judges may hold some hearings by video (Webex). Your notice says whether to come in person; do not assume.
Detained by ICE
ICE's Miami Field Office lists facilities including the Krome North Service Processing Center (where the Krome court sits), the Broward Transitional Center and the Glades County Detention Center. Detained cases are prioritized and usually move much faster — often weeks or months rather than years.
Find a detained relative with the ICE Online Detainee Locator (A-number or name and country of birth). Whether a judge can set bond depends on how the person entered and their history: since Matter of Yajure Hurtado, 29 I&N Dec. 216 (BIA 2025), immigration judges treat many people who entered without inspection as ineligible for bond, and federal courts are still litigating that rule. Where the immigration court cannot help, a habeas corpus petition in federal district court may be an option.
Why representation matters
According to TRAC at Syracuse University, 3,092,988 cases were pending in U.S. immigration courts at the end of August 2026. In fiscal year 2026 through August, judges issued removal or voluntary departure orders in 83.5% of completed cases — and in August 2026, only 24.2% of the people ordered removed had an attorney.
A lawyer cannot change the law or promise a result. What a lawyer can do is make sure deadlines are met, every available form of relief is identified, and the evidence and testimony meet the legal standard before the judge sees them.
How Ace Immigration helps in Miami-area courts
Attorney Anna Tsibel has practiced immigration law exclusively for more than 15 years and works in English and Russian. The firm's Florida office is in Boca Raton; because immigration law is federal, we represent clients in immigration courts nationwide.
- • We review the NTA and hearing notices for defects, including issues under Pereira v. Sessions and Niz-Chavez v. Garland that can affect eligibility for some relief.
- • We identify the relief that is realistically available: asylum, withholding of removal, Convention Against Torture protection, cancellation of removal, family-based adjustment of status, voluntary departure.
- • We prepare you and your witnesses to testify — in Russian where that is your language — and appear with you at master and individual hearings, in person or by video.
- • We handle detained cases: bond hearings where available, and coordination with federal habeas counsel.
- • We file motions to reopen after in absentia orders, and appeals to the BIA.
We do not guarantee the outcome of any case. Results depend on the facts, the evidence, the law in effect and the judge's decision. See also our removal defense practice and our Miami immigration attorney page.
Hearing soon or someone detained? Call (805) 409-9384
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What happens after you submit
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Sources
Court details checked against EOIR on 2026-10-23. Statistics are from TRAC's immigration court data through August 2026.
- Miami Immigration Court — U.S. Department of Justice, EOIR
- Miami Krome (Detained) Immigration Court — U.S. Department of Justice, EOIR
- Orlando Immigration Court — U.S. Department of Justice, EOIR
- Krome North Service Processing Center — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
- Broward Transitional Center — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
- Glades County Detention Center — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
- Find an Immigration Court and Access Internet-Based Hearings — U.S. Department of Justice, EOIR
- Immigration Court Operational Status — U.S. Department of Justice, EOIR
- EOIR Automated Case Information — U.S. Department of Justice, EOIR
- Immigration Court Practice Manual 3.14 — Master Calendar Hearing — U.S. Department of Justice, EOIR
- Immigration Court Practice Manual 3.15 — Individual Calendar Hearing — U.S. Department of Justice, EOIR
- Immigration Court Practice Manual 3.16 — In Absentia Hearing — U.S. Department of Justice, EOIR
- 8 U.S.C. § 1229 (INA § 239) — Notice to Appear — Office of the Law Revision Counsel, U.S. House of Representatives
- 8 U.S.C. § 1229a (INA § 240) — Removal proceedings — Office of the Law Revision Counsel, U.S. House of Representatives
- 8 U.S.C. § 1158 (INA § 208) — Asylum — Office of the Law Revision Counsel, U.S. House of Representatives
- 8 U.S.C. § 1252 (INA § 242) — Judicial review of orders of removal — Office of the Law Revision Counsel, U.S. House of Representatives
- 8 C.F.R. § 1003.15 — Contents of the order to show cause and notice to appear (change of address, Form EOIR-33) — eCFR
- 8 C.F.R. § 1003.33 — Translation of documents — eCFR
- Matter of Yajure Hurtado, 29 I&N Dec. 216 (BIA 2025) — Board of Immigration Appeals
- ICE Online Detainee Locator System — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
- Immigration Court Quick Facts (data through August 2026) — TRAC, Syracuse University
Disclaimer: This page is general information, not legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Ace Immigration is a private law firm and is not affiliated with EOIR, the immigration courts, DHS or ICE. Court locations, hours and procedures change; always rely on your own hearing notice and the official sources above. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Frequently asked questions
Which immigration court is handling my case?
The court named on your Notice to Appear or most recent hearing notice — not the court closest to your home. Check the court, date and hearing format with your A-number in EOIR Automated Case Information or at 1-800-898-7180. EOIR lists these courts for this area: Miami Immigration Court (downtown) (One Riverview Square, 333 S. Miami Avenue, Suite 700, Miami, FL 33130); Miami Krome (Detained) Immigration Court (Krome North Processing Center, 18201 SW 12th Street, Miami, FL 33194).
Do I still have to attend if I have a lawyer?
Yes. You must attend every hearing unless the judge has specifically excused you. If you miss a hearing after proper notice, the judge can order you removed in absentia, and such orders can be reopened only in limited situations.
Law and context
- Miami Immigration Court
Miami Immigration Court is listed under Florida in EOIR’s court and internet-based hearing directory checked 2026-10-20. The directory identifies court-associated judges; your case notice controls where and how to appear.
- Miami Krome (Detained) Immigration Court
Miami Krome (Detained) Immigration Court is listed under Florida in EOIR’s court and internet-based hearing directory checked 2026-10-20. The directory identifies court-associated judges; your case notice controls where and how to appear.
- Orlando Immigration Court
Orlando Immigration Court is listed under Florida in EOIR’s court and internet-based hearing directory checked 2026-10-20. The directory identifies court-associated judges; your case notice controls where and how to appear.
- Broward Transitional Center
Broward Transitional Center appears in ICE’s public detention-facility directory checked 2026-10-20. The directory lists Pompano Beach, FL and Miami Field Office. Listing does not establish current occupancy, contract status, or that a particular person is held here.