Report on Fast-Tracked Somali Cases in Immigration Court

Kevin R. Johnson

25 Mar 2026 — 1 min read

President Trump has not had much good ti say about Somali immigrants to the United States. Joseph Gunther and Brandon Marrow have analyzed data from the "Somali rocket docket":

"In January and February 2026, lawyers representing Somalis in immigration court began reporting that cases with no future hearing, or with one set for years away, were suddenly being scheduled for hearings in February and March. This was so little notice that it led lawyers to identify an unofficial `Somali rocket docket' being used to fast-track Somali cases through immigration court. Using publicly available court data, we demonstrate its scale: we found that, nationally, two-thirds (66.25%) of all Somali noncitizens with an open immigration court case were scheduled for a hearing with a new judge on short notice." (footnote omitted).

Click here to see more details in the report.

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Immigration Article of the Day: Recalibrating the Plenary Power Doctrine After Trump v. Hawaii, Thuraissigiam, and Loper Bright by Abdul Aziz Meslat

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