OMAHA, Nebraska (KCRG) – A new report focused on deportation hearings in one immigration court finds there’s a lack of due process for immigrants.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska observed more than 500 hearings in the Omaha immigration court. About 40 percent of the removal proceedings in the court involve people living in Iowa.

According to the report, judges routinely compromised the due process rights of immigrants. The report outlines four specific areas: judges failing to consistently advise people of their rights, deficient interpretation services, a high number of cases without attorney representation, and the short duration of hearings – often lasting fewer than four minutes.

“As the backlog grows bigger and bigger every day, it has not been going down, you can imagine there’s pressure to get things done quicker. However, our constitutional rights cannot be affected by that. An immovable object that simply cannot be infringed on for the sake of expediency,” said ACLU of Nebraska Legal Fellow & lead author of the report Dylan Severino.

The report’s recommendations range from small adjustments, such as using telephone interpretation services whenever needed, to large actions by Congress, such as passing comprehensive immigration reform and reestablishing the immigration court system as an independent court system rather than a Department of Justice function.

The report also suggests state and local governments consider creating programs to guarantee legal representation in immigration court proceedings.

To view the full report, click HERE.