My papers say Lowell or Boston. Which court is it?
An ICE handout lists this court as Chelmsford (formerly Lowell), so a paper or website using the old name may mean this same address. Massachusetts also has the Boston Immigration Court at 15 New Sudbury Street, and NPR reported in 2025 that many cases moved from Boston after Chelmsford opened in April 2024. Do not guess from your town. Your latest Notice of Hearing controls, and an old notice naming Boston is no safe guide if a newer one exists. Check the court on the automated line, 1-800-898-7180, as our guide to finding your hearing explains, or call the court at 978-497-9000. EOIR's ZIP code tool shows only the court most likely assigned, not yours.
What should I expect when I arrive at 150 Apollo Drive?
EOIR says parking is available in the building lot at no charge, but its page gives no public transit information, so check your route before the day. Public hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday except federal holidays. Everyone passes a metal detector and bag screening on each visit, and you may be asked to remove your shoes. Food and drink are not allowed unless the judge permits them. Under the Policy Manual you must be through security and in the courtroom at the scheduled time, so a queue at the door does not excuse you. Winter matters here: the court may close for weather, and closures are posted on EOIR's Operational Status page.
What if snow or an emergency closes the court on my date?
Do not assume that a storm cancels your hearing. Check EOIR's Operational Status page, which is where the agency posts closures, and call the automated line, 1-800-898-7180. If the court is closed, wait for a new notice and keep checking; it goes to the address on file, so that address must be right. The Policy Manual says that if the court closes unexpectedly on a filing deadline, the deadline moves to the next day it reopens. If it is open and only your own travel failed, tell the court and a lawyer immediately, because a missed hearing can lead to an in absentia removal order, and the routes for undoing one are narrow. Keep proof of what happened.
How do I file papers with this court before my hearing?
Bring or send papers to the window, open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays except federal holidays. Remember that the other side, DHS, must get a copy too, and at Chelmsford its lawyers are not in the building: an ICE handout lists OPLA Boston, 15 New Sudbury Street, Room 425, for this court, so confirm that address before relying on it. Mail or courier service on DHS is complete once sent, but a filing with the court counts only when the court receives it, so the two run on different clocks. Attach a signed proof of service naming the office, address, date, method and documents, because the Policy Manual treats its absence as grounds to return a filing. Unrepresented, non-detained people need to file 15 days before a master calendar hearing for a ruling at it, or may otherwise file in open court, and 30 days before an individual hearing. The court issues no receipts; a prepaid return envelope and an extra copy marked CONFORMED COPY; RETURN TO SENDER get you a stamped one. Chelmsford.Immigration.Court@usdoj.gov is not for evidence: unrequested email is discarded. After a move, Form EOIR-33 is due within five days.
My hearing date is years away, or it was moved. What now?
NPR reported in August 2025 that lawyers saw some Chelmsford cases pushed as far out as 2029. That was a report at that time, not a rule, and judge staffing changes, so check your own date rather than relying on it. A distant date is not permission to relax. Cases can move, and a new notice goes to the address on file, so check the automated line regularly and keep your address current. Some asylum deadlines keep running whatever the hearing date is, as our guide to the master calendar hearing explains. Use the time to gather and translate evidence. If your date is moved up, get advice at once, because deadlines count back from the individual hearing.
Can ICE arrest someone at this court?
Yes, in limited situations, so the honest answer is neither that you are protected nor that you should stay away. As of October 30, 2026, ICE's 2025 courthouse arrest policy has been vacated twice for immigration courts: by a California court in Pablo Sequen v. Albarran on June 23, 2026, left in force on July 10, and by a New York court in African Communities Together v. Venturella on September 30, 2026, which refused to limit relief to the plaintiffs. That leaves ICE's April 2021 guidance, which still allows arrests in defined cases, such as a national security threat or a danger to public safety. We found no later appeals ruling, so ask a lawyer what applies this week. Do not count on fear excusing a missed hearing: the result can be an order of removal in your absence. Talk to a lawyer before your date, especially with an old order or a criminal record.
A relative was detained in Massachusetts. Is the case at Chelmsford?
Do not assume so. The Policy Manual sends a bond request to the court with jurisdiction over the place of detention, and people can be moved out of state, which can change that court. Start with ICE's Online Detainee Locator at ice.gov/locator, using the country of birth with the A-number or the full name and date of birth. ICE says people under 18 are not shown, and a new arrest may not appear at once. If you find nothing, ICE says to contact its field office; it lists its Boston office and bond office at 1000 District Avenue, Burlington, 781-359-7500. In Guerrero Orellana v. Moniz, on August 13, 2026, the First Circuit upheld class relief for people arrested or detained in Massachusetts or within a Massachusetts immigration court's jurisdiction who meet the class criteria, placing them under the bond statute. The class excludes expedited removal cases and § 236(c) mandatory detention, and a move out of state may matter. Our bond hearing guide gives the position as of October 30, 2026. Anna Tsibel, our Russian-speaking attorney licensed by the California bar, handles deportation defense; you can request a consultation.