When an authorized government official presents an noncitizen with a Notice to Appear (NTA) before an Immigration Court, then the individual has been placed in removal proceedings once the NTA has been received by the Immigration Court.  The NTA contains allegations as well as charges under grounds of inadmissibility or deportability.  This is where an individual in removal proceedings is permitted to present their defenses; and where an Immigration Judge ultimately decides whether to order an individual be deported, or grant the individual’s relief according to the defenses presented.

Interestingly, some individuals are not aware that they have been placed in removal proceedings or that they have an order of removal in absentia – meaning, without having presented themselves before an Immigration Judge.