Elizabeth Immigration Court

About the Court

The Elizabeth Immigration Court falls under the jurisdiction of the Office of the Chief Immigration Judge, which is a component of the Executive Office for Immigration Review under the Department of Justice.

Address

625 Evans Street, Room 148A
Elizabeth, NJ 07201

Hours

Public Hours: 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Window Filing Hours: 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.

The immigration court is open Monday to Friday except for federal holidays. The Office of Personnel Management publishes a list of the observed dates of every federal holiday by year online at this link: OPM holidays. Additionally, the court may have to unexpectedly close due to inclement weather or for another emergency or reason. When necessary, information on immigration court closures or changes to the immigration court’s operating hours is available on EOIR's Operational Status webpage, Facebook, and X.

Parking/Transit

Building Access and Security Screening Process

This immigration court is located in a Department of Homeland Security controlled detention facility. For information about the facility, including entry, please visit the Elizabeth Contract Detention Facility website.

Security information: All visitors to the immigration court must undergo a security screening through a metal detector machine as well as a handbag screening each time they visit the immigration court. Shoes may be required to be removed. Food and drinks are not allowed, except as specifically permitted by the immigration judge. Usage of cameras or recording devices in courtrooms or other EOIR space is prohibited. Note, however, that attorneys or accredited representatives of record and DHS attorneys representing the government in proceedings before EOIR are permitted to use electronic devices in EOIR courtrooms for the limited purpose of conducting immediately relevant court and business-related activities (e.g. scheduling).

Contact the Court

General Inquiries

If you have a question for the Elizabeth Immigration Court, please e-mail Elizabeth.Immigration.Court@usdoj.gov.

The immigration court does not accept faxes or other electronic submissions unless the transmission has been specifically requested by the immigration court staff or the immigration judge. Unauthorized transmissions are not made part of the record and are discarded without consideration of the document or notice to the sender.

You may also call the court at 908-787-1355.

News Media/Congressional Inquiries

Please direct inquiries to the EOIR Office of Policy:

EOIR Office of Policy
5107 Leesburg Pike, Suite 2500
Falls Church, VA 22041
703-305-0289
PAO.EOIR@usdoj.gov

Asylum EAD Clock Requests

For Asylum EAD inquiries or clock correction requests for Elizabeth, please e-mail Asylum.Clock.Elizabeth@usdoj.gov.

Please include:

the applicant's name;
the applicant's alien registration number;
why the requestor believes the clock should be adjusted.

NOTE: This mailbox is ONLY for Asylum EAD Clock requests. The court will not respond to any other communications sent to the mailbox. Rather, for general inquiry requests that are not related to the Asylum EAD Clock, please email the court at the email address listed in the “General Inquiries” section above.

Observing Immigration Court Hearings

Immigration court hearings are open to the public, with limited exceptions, as specified in law. You do not need to notify the immigration court in advance of your visit. You are, however, encouraged to contact EOIR's Office of Policy at PAO.EOIR@usdoj.gov to coordinate your visit. Note, the use of cameras and recording devices in courtrooms or other EOIR spaces is prohibited. For additional information about court observations, please review EOIR's Observing Immigration Court Hearings Fact Sheet.

Assistant Chief Immigration Judge*

David Cheng

Court Administrator

Adaly Soto

Immigration Judges

Richard J. Bailey
Adam G. Panopoulos

*Backup Assistant Chief Immigration Judge:

Immigration Court Procedures

For information regarding procedures for practice before the immigration courts, please review the EOIR Policy Manual.

Stakeholder Resources

eRegistry

Attorneys and accredited representatives are required to register with EOIR in order to represent respondents in immigration court. More information is available at the following link: eRegistry Validation Process.

Additional EOIR Resources

EOIR has several resources to assist aliens in navigating court proceedings, including self-help materials and the Immigration Court Online Resource (ICOR), which provides general information on what will happen during court hearings and how aliens can prepare for their hearing.

Finally, stakeholders may find the following resources helpful:

DHS Offices

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are part of DHS and are separate from EOIR. For more information about those DHS offices, please see:

Updated July 11, 2025