Yet more data shows what we already know to be true: contrary to Trump administration claims, the overwhelming majority of families seeking asylum show up to their court dates. Using the government’s own data, Syracuse University’s TRAC reports that of 47,000 families who came to the U.S. between September 2018 and May 2018, “almost six out of every seven families released from custody had shown up for their initial court hearing,” immigrant rights advocacy group America’s Voice said.
Of the families that had legal representation, the numbers were even higher: “nearly 100% of asylum-seeking families who have legal representation showed up to their initial or all of their hearings,” The Dallas Morning News reported. Families have every reason to not skip their hearings, because it could mean losing their case. “Immigration judges may issue a removal order in absentia when an individual in immigration proceedings misses a hearing,” Human Rights Watch said, but notes that asylum-seekers may miss a court date for reasons entirely out of their control, like failing to even get a notice.
But the Trump administration has repeatedly made bullshit claims that asylum-seekers don’t go to their court dates, as an excuse to keep them locked up indefinitely. "Tell me what percentage of people come back” to court, Donald Trump asked at a January rally. “Would you say 100%? No, you're a little off. How about 2%?” Just last week, his acting Homeland Security secretary, Kevin McAleenan, told Congress that 90% skipped their court dates.
“Did McAleean blatantly lie to Congress or was he fed false information by DHS?” asked leading immigration attorney David Leopold. “Either way his claim that 90% of asylum seeking families failed to show up for their immigration court hearings is a bald-faced lie from the Trump administration. Now that we know the truth, the Trump administration can’t continue to claim that families must be locked up for indefinite periods of time because they may abscond.”