(ConservativeSense.com) – New York City federal immigration offices have the longest wait times for migrants seeking appointments for court dates after crossing the southern border illegally, with bookings already filled up to March 2033.
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are booked all the way up to 2033. Undocumented migrants will apparently have to wait nearly a decade to a see a judge and then wait another four years before their proceedings are complete, according to the latest figures.
Acting director of ICE, Tae Johnson, told a congressional panel on Tuesday that the organization is dealing with office backlogs and are trying to tackle the problem by figuring out ways to use video conferencing options in order to speed the process up. During a hearing about budget requests, he told the House Appropriations Committee that they have requested the authority for ICE to “serve it virtually and have people agree to accept their documents electronically.”
Johnson said they are working with Congress to “get the authority” and “are working on the technological piece of it” so interviews can be conducted via telephone or virtually by computer in order to avoid having individuals wait a decade for their charging documents. He said ICE is also requesting funding for an additional 45 agents to help process the backlog of bookings, and are looking to borrow personnel from US Customs and Border Protection in the meantime to alleviate the burden.
Although some migrants are frustrated by the circumstances, experts say such a backlog makes NYC the best place for migrants to settle who have dubious claims of asylum after being released at the border, and they are entitled to work permits as their claims are still pending.
The situation will probably only get worse for ICE after May 11, as a fresh surge of migrants is expected after the Biden administration lifts the Trump-era Title 42 policy enacted during the 2020 pandemic.
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