Shutdown Worsens Strain on US Immigration Courts

Immigration court backlogs have only been exacerbated by the shutdown with estimates of over 400 immigration judges furloughed, approximately 500 immigration cases per day stalled, and possibly over 43,000 scheduled hearings that have been canceled to date. Current estimates show over 800,000 cases are waiting to be heard in immigration courts across the United States while other estimates reach over 1.1 million. Texas, California, New York, and Florida are each estimated to have over 50,000 pending cases. It is now anticipated that the postponed hearings will not be rescheduled and heard until 2021, or later.