Objective 4.3: Develop and Implement New Techniques to Improve the Interaction Between Parties to Immigration Proceedings and EOIR Adjudicatory Components

Leveraging a number of immigration court adjudication methods and language interpretation services benefits respondents with little or no English language proficiency.

With more hearing medium choices available (including in-person, telephonic, VTC, and internet-based), courts can improve their day-to-day processes and better facilitate testimony (by noncitizens, witnesses, and expert witnesses) and representation.

Additionally, OCIJ currently utilizes simultaneous interpretation for in-person hearings using specialized equipment that allows information to be interpreted in real time. OCIJ has also taken steps to expand simultaneous interpretation to virtual hearings conducted via Webex. In April 2022, OCIJ’s Language Services Unit launched a pilot program that enabled a group of five immigration judges from across the country to test Webex’s simultaneous interpretation feature. Due to the success of the pilot program, OCIJ is currently exploring the deployment of simultaneous interpretation technology to all virtual hearings conducted via Webex.

EOIR currently provides in-house interpretation for the three languages most often spoken by noncitizens in immigration proceedings: Spanish (~81.50%), Mandarin (~2.20%), and Foo Chow (~1.33%). These are the languages for which the Language Services Unit at OCIJ has testing available. A contract service is utilized to address all other language requirements on an as-needed basis. 

EOIR will continue to monitor language needs through its comprehensive Interpreter Designation Model, which is a workforce hiring dashboard, to provide data-driven results of the appropriate number of interpreter staff hires needed by court location.

Table 18. Objective 4.3 Strategies and Lead Components