Immigration courts are a vital part of the American legal system and perform an essential role in enforcement and adjudication of real life legal issues. Unfortunately, the government shutdown has caused further backlogs in our already back-logged immigration system. Immigration Courts around the country have constantly struggled with backlogs and pressure from Congress to conduct hearings with scarce resources. Add to that the government shutdown and immigration courts around the country now have to revive cancelled hearings and re-generate schedules just to manage the surging backlog created by the two week shutdown. Since returning to work after the shutdown, personnel around the country in immigration courts have been forced to manage this new surge of cancelled hearings added to the already overburdened court calendars with a complete lack of human resources and lack of government funding. Congress has shown no real interest in this problem for years and if you think the folks in DC will act anytime soon to rectify the problem, you haven’t been involved in the immigration crisis.
Regardless of how anyone feels about the overall problem with our broken immigration system, one thing is clear, Immigration Courts perform a vital role in our legal system and leaving these courts unattended has thrown a already overburdened system into total chaos. Without the proper resources the Immigration courts cannot continue to function. The question is when will Congress ever wake up and deal with the problem. Unfortunately, the answer to that question is, most likely, not any time soon.
Anthony Drago, Jr., P.C. represents individuals in removal proceedings before U.S. Immigration Courts. If you or someone you know is facing deportation, please call our office at 617-357-0400 to discuss your case.