Immigration Court in Oklahoma

Most persons call it Immigration Court. The federal government officially calls it the Executive Office of Immigration Review. Oklahoma is part of the Dallas Immigration Court. The Dallas Immigration Court currently holds sessions in Oklahoma in Tulsa for detained cases only.

For detained cases set for Master Calendar Hearings or for bond hearings, the courtroom is located in the chapel at the David L. Moss Criminal Justice Center, 300 N. Denver Ave., Tulsa, OK 74103. Only detainees and their lawyers may attend hearings at this location.

Non-detained cases for adults and juveniles are held at the Dallas Immigration Court, 1100 Commerce Street, Room 1060, Dallas, Texas 75242. This is in downtown Dallas in the Earle Cabell Federal Building and Courthouse.

Please note that up until August 15, 2014, the Dallas Immigration Court held sessions in Oklahoma City. However, for bureaucratic reasons, the Immigration Court and Immigration and Customs Enforcement ended this arrangement despite that 30 percent of cases before the Dallas court historically were from Oklahoma.

Things to know:

1. To check on your case status call 1 (800) 898-7180. Please note that this information line is not always up to date.

2. The Immigration Judges do not like Respondents being late for court. Plan on arriving early. The most convenient paid parking is next to the McDonald’s by the Earle Cabell Federal Building and Courthouse.

3. Do not be afraid to enter the courtroom. If you have court, then it is your job to be inside the courtroom prior to your hearing time.

4. If you do not have a lawyer, then most Immigration Judges allow you to ask for a continuance to obtain a lawyer’s services. Do not wait until the very last second before your second hearing to hire a lawyer. Factors to consider in hiring an lawyer for immigration court include: 1) Trial experience in the Immigration Court; 2) Experience before the Board of Immigration Appeals and the United States Court of Appeals; and 3) Significant continuing legal education in immigration.

The sitting Immigration Judges in Dallas are:

Hon. Xiomara D. Davis-Gumbs
Hon. R. Wayne Kimball
Hon. James Nugent
Hon. Richard R. Ozmun
Hon. Deitrich Sims
Hon. Daniel Weiss

The Court Administrator is Barbara Baker.

IJ Davis-Gumbs’s biography:

Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch appointed Judge Davis-Gumbs to begin hearing cases in January 2016. Judge Davis-Gumbs earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1983 from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York and a Juris Doctor in 1992 from Touro College, Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center. From 2008 through 2015, Judge Davis-Gumbs served in the Office of the Chief Counsel, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in Dallas, in various capacities including deputy chief counsel, and previously as associate counsel, Central Law Division, and as associate counsel, Training and Knowledge Management Division. From 2002 through 2008, Judge Davis-Gumbs served as assistant chief counsel in the Office of Principal Legal Advisor, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, DHS, in Newark, N.J. From 1997 through 2002, Judge Davis-Gumbs served as an asylum officer in the Office of International Affairs, in the former Immigration and Naturalization Service, U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), in Rosedale, N.Y. From 1994 through 1997, Judge Davis-Gumbs served as special assistant/litigation coordinator for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, DOJ, in New York, N.Y. From 1993 through 1994, Judge Davis-Gumbs served as a law clerk, and from 1988 through 1993, as an inmate grievance counselor in the Trial Unit, New York City Department of Corrections. Judge Davis-Gumbs is a member of the New York Bar.

IJ Kimball’s biography:

Attorney General Eric Holder appointed Judge Kimball in November 2011. Judge Kimball received a bachelor of arts degree in 1983 and a master of arts degree in 1984, both from Johns Hopkins University. He received his juris doctorate in 1988 from Georgetown University Law Center. From August 2001 to November 2011, Judge Kimball served as an administrative judge for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Dallas. From April 1994 to August 2001, he served as deputy district counsel for the former Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) in New York. From 1988 to 1994, Judge Kimball was a trial attorney for INS in Dallas. From 1987 to 1988, he served as a law clerk, Office of the Chief Immigration Judge, EOIR, for the immigration courts in Phoenix and Falls Church, Va. During this time, he was the administrative editor of the Georgetown Immigration Law Journal. Judge Kimball is a member of the State Bar of Texas.

IJ Ozmun’s biography:

Judge Ozmun was appointed Immigration Judge in July 2002. Prior to his assignment in the El Paso Court in October 2002, Judge Ozmun served as an Immigration Judge in Los Angeles. He received his B.A. in 1968 from Southwestern State University, Weatherford, OK, and his J.D. in 1977 from the University of Oklahoma. Judge Ozmun retired from the U.S. Navy in July 2002 after serving for 33 years. He is a member of the Oklahoma Bar and the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, and is admitted to practice in the U.S. Supreme Court.

IJ Nugent’s biography:

James A. Nugent was appointed as an immigration judge for the Oakdale Immigration Court in February 2005.  He received his undergraduate degree in 1978 from the University of Southwestern Louisiana and his juris doctorate in 1987 from Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Louisiana State University.  From July 2003 to February 2005, Judge Nugent was an examining attorney for the Delta Title Corporation in New Orleans.  He was in private practice from December 2000 to July 2003 with the Law Offices of James A. Nugent and was a special partner with Deutsch, Kerrigan & Stiles, L.L.P., from June 1997 to December 2003, both in New Orleans.  Judge Nugent is a member of the Louisiana Bar.

IJ Sims does not appear to have an online biography available. He was a trial attorney with the Immigration and Naturalization Service. The latest search results on IJ Sims can be found at Google and Bing.

IJ Weiss’s biography:

Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch appointed Judge Weiss to begin hearing cases in January 2016. Judge Weiss received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1986 from the University of Pennsylvania and a Juris Doctor in 1990 from the University of Maryland School of Law. From 2010 through 2015, Judge Weiss served as senior trial attorney in the Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit, Criminal Section, Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), in Washington, D.C. From 2005 through 2010, Judge Weiss served as deputy chief, and, previously as a trial attorney, in the Special Litigation Section, Civil Rights Division, DOJ. From 1992 through 2000, Judge Weiss served as an assistant public defender II in the Appellate Trials Division, State of Maryland Office of the Public Defender, in Baltimore. From 1991 through 1992 Judge Weiss served as an attorney at the Fidelity & Deposit Companies of Maryland, in Baltimore, and from 1990 through 1991, as law clerk to the Honorable Ellen Hollander, Circuit Court for Baltimore City. Judge Weiss is a member of the District of Columbia and Maryland Bars.