31-01-2025
Newest federal immigration court opens in Indianapolis
The country's newest federal immigration court officially opened its doors in Indianapolis earlier this week, after first being announced in 2022.
Before Monday, most Indiana-based cases were funneled through Chicago's Immigration Court, but now seven judges will have federal dockets in the Hoosier State. Over the years, Chicago's court saw a rise in Indiana-based cases, which ultimately led to the Executive Office for Immigration Review opening this new court.
The new court is in downtown Indianapolis inside the Minton-Capehart Federal Building, at 575 North Pennsylvania St., in Suite 600.
The seven judges placed in Indiana's court are Assistant Chief Immigration Judge Robert P. Driscoll, Judge Sarjo Barrow, Judge Scott Bratton, Judge Valerie Burch, Judge Daniel Conklin, Judge Jane Miller, and Judge Scott Thomsen, according to the United States Justice Department's website.
By the end of 2024, U.S. immigration courts had approximately 3.6 million pending deportation cases, with the Illinois court having 281,937 pending cases, according to a database published by the Vera Institute of Justice, a nonprofit organization aimed at improving the criminal legal and immigration systems.
For people who may have had a case pending in the Chicago immigration court and are unsure if their case has been moved to Indiana, they can check online at the Executive Office for Immigration Review's automated case information system at
The Indiana Immigration Court will be open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Contact IndyStar reporter Noe Padilla at npadilla@ follow him on X @1NoePadilla or on Bluesky @
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Newest federal immigration court opens in downtown Indianapolis
