U.S. immigration courts
February 22, 2022
The U.S. immigration courts are struggling with judges that are understaffed and an overwhelming backlog of more than 1.6 million cases. The backlog includes cases surrounding issues that range from asylum hearings to unaccompanied children crossing the border, to longtime undocumented residents appearing in court, often without attorneys to represent them. There is a major inconsistency across the nation on how judges rule on these cases, resulting in a high appeal rate that clogs the system. Immigration judges need legal assistants, judicial law clerks, interpreters, and front-window staff. For example, at one New York immigration court, they are only staffed at about 30 percent.
Specific content can be found here:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/21/us-immigration-courts-cases-backlog-understaffing