my name is a judge danilee marks. i am an immigration judge in california and the president of immigration judges. people are often surprised that judges have a union. as an employee of the departments of justice, i would not be allowed to speak publicly about policy or my concerns. that is an edict that the department of justice has that applies to all employees. however, as the president of a national labor union, i have the right to speak out. i want to make sure that everyone understands today that i am speaking here in my capacity as president of the national association of immigration judges and not as an immigration judge or a representative of the department of justice. many people do not understand what happens at immigration courts and yet we have some of the highest volume of any tribunal in the united states. last year, there were approximately 275,000 cases which were adjudicated by approximately 230 immigration judges nationwide. we are the trial-level court that hears the claims regarding whether or not