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Overview
- Non-detained deportation cases in El Paso are heard at the El Paso Immigration Court, 700 E. San Antonio Avenue, Suite 750, downtown.
- Detained deportation cases in El Paso are heard at the El Paso SPC Immigration Court, 8915 Montana Avenue, inside the Service Processing Center, often within weeks.
- ICE's El Paso field office covers West Texas and all of New Mexico, with detainees held at the Service Processing Center, Camp East Montana or Otero in Chaparral.
- If someone is arrested in El Paso, call with the person's full name, date of birth and A-number so the facility and court can be found.
- Phone
- (915) 221-1649
- Reviewed
- October 19, 2026
Two immigration courts, two very different cases
El Paso removal cases split by custody. If you were released, or were never detained, your Notice to Appear sends you to the El Paso Immigration Court at 700 E. San Antonio Avenue, Suite 750, downtown. Public hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and the filing window closes at 4 p.m. That court also hears cases that began at the Paso del Norte port of entry and at the Border Patrol's El Paso Sector processing center. If you are in ICE custody, your case is at the El Paso SPC Immigration Court, 8915 Montana Avenue, Suite 100, inside the Service Processing Center. It is a detained court, which means hearings move quickly, often within weeks, and the judge expects the defense to be ready.
ICE's El Paso field office covers West Texas and all of New Mexico, so a person arrested in Las Cruces, Midland or Roswell is usually brought to El Paso. The three facilities we see most are the Service Processing Center on Montana Avenue, Camp East Montana at 6920 Digital Road on Fort Bliss, and the Otero County Processing Center in Chaparral, New Mexico, just across the state line. The SPC court's published docket covers the Service Processing Center, La Tuna and the Bluebonnet facility. For Camp East Montana the court assignment is not published, so we confirm the docket with the court clerk before we file anything.
What a removal defense looks like from this office
The first step is the file. We request the Notice to Appear, the court record and the person's complete immigration history, because the defense depends on what the government can prove and what relief the person qualifies for. The main forms of relief in El Paso cases are cancellation of removal for long-time residents and for permanent residents, asylum and withholding for people who fear return, adjustment of status before the judge when a U.S. citizen spouse or adult child has filed a petition, and voluntary departure when nothing else fits. For someone with an old removal order, a motion to reopen comes before anything else. A loss before the judge can be appealed to the Board of Immigration Appeals within 30 days, and from there to the Fifth Circuit; detained clients usually stay at the SPC during an appeal, so we weigh the timing of every filing against how long the person has already been held. Because Juárez is across the bridge, many El Paso cases also have a Mexico side. A client who takes voluntary departure, or who is removed, may still have a path back through a family petition, an I-601 waiver and an I-212 permission to reapply, all interviewed at the U.S. Consulate General in Ciudad Juárez. Our Juárez office handles that side of the file, so a removal does not have to be the end of the family's case.
Deportation cases we handle in El Paso
- A person served a Notice to Appear at the downtown El Paso court after a traffic stop or local arrest led to an ICE hold
- A husband or father picked up at an ICE check-in on Montana Avenue and moved to the Service Processing Center with a hearing days away
- A relative held at Camp East Montana whose family cannot find out which court has the case
- A permanent resident with an old conviction placed in proceedings after returning through the Paso del Norte bridge
- A longtime El Paso resident with U.S. citizen children who qualifies for cancellation of removal
- Someone with a removal order from years ago who was never deported and now needs a motion to reopen
- A person arrested in Las Cruces and transferred to the Otero County Processing Center whose family is in El Paso
- A spouse of a U.S. citizen in proceedings who can adjust status before the immigration judge instead of leaving
Sound like your situation? Request a consultation or call (915) 221-1649.
How we defend a removal case from El Paso
Locate and intake
We find the person through ICE's detainee locator and the El Paso field office, confirm which facility and which court has the case, and file a notice of appearance the same day where possible.
Custody review
For detained clients we review the custody decision at once and request a bond hearing at the El Paso SPC court, or pursue federal court review when ICE says no bond is available.
Pleadings and relief
We obtain the government's file, contest the charges where the evidence is weak, and identify every form of relief: cancellation, asylum, adjustment, waivers or voluntary departure.
Evidence and hearing
We build the record, prepare the client and witnesses in English or Spanish, and present the case at the individual hearing downtown or at the SPC.
Decision and what follows
We file the appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals within the 30-day deadline if the case is lost, or move the client's approved case forward with USCIS, or plan a lawful return through our Juárez office.
Questions from El Paso clients
Where is immigration court for El Paso residents?
Non-detained cases are heard at the El Paso Immigration Court, 700 E. San Antonio Avenue, Suite 750, downtown. Detained cases are heard at the El Paso SPC Immigration Court, 8915 Montana Avenue, inside the Service Processing Center. Your hearing notice names the court. Call the court at 915-534-6020 or 915-771-1600, or call us, if you are not sure.
Which court hears cases for people detained at the El Paso Service Processing Center?
The El Paso SPC Immigration Court, which sits inside the facility at 8915 Montana Avenue, Suite 100. Its published docket also covers people held at La Tuna and at the Bluebonnet Detention Center. Hearings on the detained docket are scheduled quickly, so the defense needs to be ready within days, not months.
Can you find out where ICE is holding my relative in El Paso?
Yes. With a full name, date of birth and country of birth, or an A-number, we check ICE's online detainee locator and contact the El Paso field office at 11541 Montana Avenue. Most people arrested in West Texas or New Mexico end up at the Service Processing Center, Camp East Montana or the Otero County Processing Center in Chaparral.
What if my relative is at Camp East Montana?
Call us first. Camp East Montana, at 6920 Digital Road on Fort Bliss, is an ICE facility under the El Paso field office, but the immigration court does not publish which docket hears its cases. We confirm the court and hearing format with the clerk before filing, and we get documents to the client through the facility at (915) 280-2270.
How much does a deportation lawyer cost in El Paso?
Consultations are available in person at our downtown El Paso office, by phone or by video, in English and Spanish, and fees are discussed at the consultation.
Can I fight deportation if I have lived in El Paso for many years?
Often, yes. Cancellation of removal is available to people with ten years of continuous presence, good moral character and a U.S. citizen or permanent resident spouse, parent or child who would suffer exceptional and extremely unusual hardship. Permanent residents with seven years of residence have a separate form of cancellation. We review the dates and any criminal history before advising.
I missed my hearing at the El Paso court. What now?
You were almost certainly ordered removed in your absence. Call us immediately. A motion to reopen can be filed at any time if you never received proper notice, and within 180 days if exceptional circumstances kept you from appearing. Until the order is reopened, any contact with ICE can lead to removal.
Can I get a green card during my deportation case in El Paso?
If you entered with inspection and a U.S. citizen spouse, parent or adult child has filed a petition, you can apply for adjustment of status before the immigration judge. If you entered without inspection, the judge usually cannot grant a green card, but we can seek to close or dismiss the case so the consular process through Ciudad Juárez can begin.
If I lose my case in El Paso, can I come back through Juárez?
Sometimes. A removal order carries a bar on returning, but a U.S. citizen or permanent resident relative can still petition, and an I-212 permission to reapply and an I-601 waiver can be filed for the interview at the U.S. Consulate General in Ciudad Juárez. Our Juárez office works those cases from the Mexico side.
Do you handle deportation cases from Las Cruces and southern New Mexico?
Yes. ICE's El Paso field office covers all of New Mexico, so people arrested in Las Cruces, Deming or Alamogordo are usually held in El Paso or at the Otero County Processing Center in Chaparral. Our El Paso office handles those cases, with video consultations for families who cannot drive in.
Every case is different — these answers are general information, not legal advice about your situation. For advice about your case, call (915) 221-1649 or request a consultation.