Since May 2026, immigration courts have increasingly relied on "mega master" calendar hearings, high-volume master calendar dockets in which dozens, and sometimes hundreds, of respondents are scheduled for a single hearing, to move large numbers of cases quickly. The rapid pace of these proceedings has resulted in many noncitizens receiving in absentia removal orders after missing their hearing or being unable to meaningfully participate because of language barriers, lack of notice, confusion, or other procedural obstacles. As practitioners encounter more clients affected by these proceedings, it is critical to understand how to challenge in absentia removal orders and which reopening arguments are most likely to succeed. This is especially important because, absent limited exceptions, a noncitizen generally has only one motion to reopen a removal o ...