Judge: Immigrant Kids Can Defend Themselves In Court

“I have trained three-year-olds and four-year-olds in immigration law,” Judge Jack Weil, a Virginia-based judge responsible for training his peers, said. “You can do a fair hearing.” His startling statement was made during deposition in a lawsuit the ACLU filed, claiming that immigration courts, the Justice Department, and other federal agencies violated youths’ right to due process and a full and fair hearing under the Immigration and Nationality Act. Deputy legal director for ACLU Southern California Ahilan Arulanantham asked, “Are you aware of any experts in child psychology or comparable experts who agree with the assessment that three and four year olds can be taught immigration law?” and Weil reasserted his claim. The government had offered Weil as an expert witness in the case, to support the position that attorneys should not be mandatory for children in immigration court. When reached by the Washington Post, Weil said the comments in the deposition do not “present an accurate assessment of my views on this topic.”