Florida Immigration Lawyer Blog
The Orlando Immigration Court has finally moved to the new space in downtown Orlando! This move was years in the making and is a welcome expansion and modernization from the old building where the court has been for over a decade. The address for the new building is 500 N. Orange Avenue, Suite 1100, Orlando, Florida 32801. The new building is shared with the Social Security Administration and the SSA signage on the building is very prominent. But do not be fooled, the Orlando Immigration Court and the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA-the ICE attorneys) are both located in the building.
Finding the Orlando Immigration Court and Parking
The entrance to the Orlando Immigration Court is on the southeast corner of the building on North Orange Avenue and the entrance doors have multiple DOJ (U.S. Department of Justice) Emblems on the doors so you know where to enter. The Immigration Court is administered by the Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR) which is part of the Department of Justice, just in case you are wondering why there are DOJ signs on the door. Parking is an issue. There is a small surface lot with an entrance off of Amelia Street just west of Orange Avenue. That lot has about 20 or so spaces and there is a fee to park there. I am told there are additional paid spaces in the parking garage attached to the building, but they may be hard to locate. Luckily, there are parking meters on both sides of Orange Avenue with a two-hour time limit that provides for additional parking in front of the court. The meters accept credit cards, but some are not working. There is a large vacant lot across from the court in between Orange Avenue and Magnolia Avenue and it is fenced but has multiple entrances. There is no fee to park in that lot (at least for now) and there is an exit from that lot onto Orange Avenue so that you can walk directly to the immigration court from the lot.
Getting into the Orlando Immigration Court
You will still need a government-issued photo identification to enter the building and you must pass through security, just like in the old building and every other government building.
Inside the Orlando Immigration Court
Once inside, the first floor has a moderate-sized waiting area with chairs. There is more room there than in the old court, which is great. The filing windows are staffed and there are three of them! (fantastic news for everyone, as the old Orlando Immigration Court only had one window and the lines were huge). The two public-facing windows were both staffed with clerks when I was there, and they are open from 8:30am to 11:30am and then 12:30pm to 4:00pm for filing. A new and welcome addition to the filing area is the third window. Directly to the right of the two public-facing windows is an attorney file review room with its own window that attorneys can use for filing when the lines are long (A FANTASTIC ADDITION)!
In the waiting area are large television monitors with cases displayed on them to show the public which judge has a specific case and in which courtroom the case are located. These screens have replaced the paper dockets that were printed and posted daily at the old Orlando Immigration Court. When I was in the new courthouse, there were only a few individual hearings scheduled, but when there are hundreds of master calendar hearings scheduled, the monitors may be completely filled and rotating case names just like arrival and departure screens at airports.
Additional features in the new Orlando Immigration Court
There is a pro bono room on the first floor down the hall from the waiting area. In fact, there are multiple pro bono rooms in the new Orlando Immigration Court located on different floors. There are also bathrooms on all public floors, and they are moderately-sized, which is a welcome change from the old Orlando Immigration Court. The public areas of the Court occupy floors one, two and three, with the ICE OPLA office on floor five. There is a central elevator that goes to all five floors.
The Courtrooms of the Orlando Immigration Court
There are six courtrooms scattered throughout the first floor, they are courtrooms 1-6. The second floor has seven court rooms, numbered 7-13, and there are three courtrooms are on the third floor, numbered 14-16. There are additional smaller waiting areas on floors two and three. Each courtroom that I was able to see is larger than the courtrooms in the old building and each is equipped with a V-tel system. Counsel tables in the new courtrooms also have USB ports and power plugs that allow for charging phones and laptops as needed during hearings. EOIR public WIFI is provided in the new building but there is also a good (not great) cellular signal for those who are leery about public WIFI and want to use personal hotspots.
The OPLA Office in the new Orlando Immigration Court
The OPLA (ICE attorney) office is on the fifth floor of the building at the end of the hall. They have a secure outer door with a ring-doorbell-like security feature you must push to request access to the OPLA waiting area for those who need to file documents in person.
Summary of my visit in the new Orlando Immigration Court
Overall, the new space is a HUGE upgrade over the old space providing more waiting areas and seats, more access to the filing clerks, more courtrooms, more space in each courtroom and more bathrooms. But parking is an issue, so make sure to arrive early for your hearings to make sure you can find parking and get into the building on time!
If you need help with an immigration court case in Orlando, contact the removal defense attorneys at Lasnetski, Gihon Law (John Gihon). We are opening a new office in downtown Orlando, walking distance to the new Orlando Immigration Court! Click here for directions.
Call us today for a free consultation about your immigration court case, 407-228-2019 or go to our website: LGLawFlorida.com
