Immigration lawyers try to prove judge wrong with funny videos

Can a 3-year-old represent himself in court? Federal judge thinks so

As a federal immigration judge is criticized for his belief that children can represent themselves in immigration court, immigration attorneys release videos of their children attempting to do that. 

Judge Jack Weil, who was speaking as an expert witness on behalf of the U.S. government, said undocumented migrant children as young as three were capable of representing themselves during deportation hearings. 

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"I've taught immigration law literally to 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds. It takes a lot of time. It takes a lot of patience," Weil said. "They get it. It's not the most efficient, but it can be done ... It's going to take you a lot of time.

"But I really think that a great alternative to terminating a case for a child who may be eligible for relief where there's no counsel is to proceed very slowly, very carefully."

Here is how immigration attorney Amy Maldonado used YouTube to try to show what most immigration attorneys around the country perceived as an absurdity. 









About the Author:

The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.