Kansas City, two other cities get new immigration courts

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Plans for a new immigration court in Kansas City are under way, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Friday.

It is expected to be operating by late 2007 and will be one of three new courts established in response to growing caseloads. The other courts will be in Omaha, Neb., and Charlotte, N.C.

The Executive Office for Immigration Review, which is part of the Justice Department, will oversee the courts. They will mainly handle deportation proceedings.

In all, the EOIR has 54 immigration courts nationwide with about 220 judges.