The Immigration Court Process provides a more formal legal setting to ensure that an individual receives due process protection in the administrative hearing context. That's the fancy way of saying that a person who goes through the process knows that he or she is facing a courtroom process. It appears simple because the respondent must make appearances before an Immigration Judge to represent his/her own interests while ICE represents the interests of the government throughout the proceedings. The detailed complexity of the ever-changing immigration laws makes the process distinctly complex.

The Immigration Court Process encompasses appearances before an Immigration Judge for the initial master calendar hearings and individual trial hearings. Detained aliens in proceedings may also face an additional hearing for bond. The process ends with the decision from the Immigration Judge. Opportunities to resolve one's case do exist at each stage of the proceedings and cannot be overlooked. Once missed, one may never regain them which is why a person needs experienced immigration counsel.