“The Biden administration has promised that the Dedicated Docket will not sacrifice due process for speedy adjudications. However, concerns remain that those enrolled … will not receive complete and just consideration of their cases, especially since legal representation is not guaranteed to those in immigration proceedings.”

Syracuse University immigration researcher Austin Kocher said time will tell if this approach will be more helpful than previous efforts.

“In the past, programs like the Dedicated Docket have done more to create confusion and shuffle cases around than to solve the underlying systemic programs faced by the court,” Kocher said in prepared remarks. “It remains to be seen whether the Biden administration will stick to this program and if the Dedicated Docket will have positive or negative effects on immigration judges’ workloads.”