Despite the federal government’s repeated vows to fix the problem, the
Transaction Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) at Syracuse University
is reporting that the backlog of cases in immigration court continues
to grow. As of the end of last year, the backlog reached a record high
of 533,909 cases, which is a 4.2 percent increase during the last quarter
of 2016. Even more alarming is the severity of the backlog for priority
cases involving women with children. There was a drastic increase of almost
22% of these types of cases being backlogged over the last four months,
with the total number of these cases reaching a record-breaking 102,342
in number. Another 75,582 of priority cases involving unaccompanied children
also remained pending at the end of the year. Together, the pending priority
cases concerning women and children account for one-third, or 33%, of
the court’s overall number of backlogged cases. One immigration
courtroom reveals the story of a deportation hearing finally being scheduled
after delays for 14 years, only to be delayed once again when the immigration
judge was reassigned to other cases. The deportation hearing was rescheduled
for 2019. Another courtroom saw a bewildered mother whose four-month-old
son was scheduled for a deportation hearing. These incidents are not unique
to these particular courtrooms; many of the 56 immigration courts nationwide
are seeing an overwhelming amount of cases, with too few judges and clerks
to handle a growing docket based on a bunch of paper files. Even in what
are proclaimed as the nation’s best of the immigration courts are
falling behind, such as Arlington, where eight judges are struggling to
handle over 30,000 cases scheduled out in the future until 2022. While
the number of immigration judges has grown slowly over the past several
years, it is still is far from sufficient to even begin to deal with the
backlog. When combined with a three-year hiring freeze at the U.S. Department
of Justice and step-ups in immigration enforcement during the Obama administration,
the backlog has become seemingly insurmountable. At
Landerholm Immigration, A.P.C., we are dedicated to protecting your rights to enter and/or remain in
the U.S., regardless of the immigration court backlog that you may be
facing. We know how to evaluate your case under current U.S. immigration
laws, explore your options, and provide you with the strongest defense
against removal possible. Contact your
California deportation defense attorneys
today and set up an appointment to speak with our team.
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