4.3 - References to Parties and the Immigration Judge

The parties in removal proceedings are the noncitizen and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).  See Chapter 1.2(d) (Relationship to the Department of Homeland Security).  To avoid confusion, the parties and the immigration judge should be referred to as follows:

• the noncitizen should be referred to as “the respondent”
• the Department of Homeland Security should be referred to as “the Department of Homeland Security” or “DHS”
• the attorney for the Department of Homeland Security should be referred to as “the Assistant Chief Counsel,” “the DHS attorney,” or “the government attorney”

• the respondent’s practitioner of record, if an attorney, should be referred to as “the respondent’s counsel” or “the respondent’s attorney”
• the respondent’s practitioner of record, if not an attorney, should be referred to as “the respondent’s representative”
• the immigration judge should be referred to as “the immigration judge” and addressed as “Your Honor” or “Judge __”

          Care should be taken not to confuse the Department of Homeland Security with the immigration court or the immigration judge.  See Chapter 1.4(e) (Department of Homeland Security).