Top Democrat joins immigration judges in calling for courtrooms to be closed during the COVID-19 pandemic

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• While many hearings have been postponed, the vast majority of US immigration courts remain open for business.
• In San Francisco, where there is a local order to "shelter in place" and a state-wide order to stay home, Judge Dana Leigh Marks told Insider that she's seen no real efforts to protect court staff or the public from the spread of COVID-19.
• Sen. Dianne Feinstein sent a letter Wednesday asking the Department of Justice to shutter immigration courts amid the coronavirus pandemic.
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The top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee is calling on the US Department of Justice to immediately shutter the nation's immigration courts, echoing calls from judges, prosecutors, and immigrant rights advocates alike.

Despite the COVID-19 outbreak, the vast majority of US immigration courts remain open; the government has postponed some cases but proceeding with hearings for detained persons.

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See Also:

• Trump tells governors new rules may allow US regions to ease coronavirus restrictions: 'We have to open up our country, I'm sorry'
• FULL INTERVIEW: Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti says the worst is yet to come, and warns other mayors to shut their cities down now before it's too late
• Dr. Birx told the heartbreaking story of her great-grandmother's death from Spanish flu while imploring Americans to social distance

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