Backlogs growing in overworked, chaotic U.S. immigration courts

Dianne Solís, Dallas Morning News, Feb. 11, 2016 - "The U.S. immigration court backlog is at a record of about 470,000 cases — nearly triple the number from a decade ago.  The average case now takes two years to wind through the courts. Some can take five.  The backlog annoys both the political left and right. U.S. Rep. Jack Ratcliffe, R-Heath, called it a “de facto amnesty” at a recent congressional hearing. Immigrants live in the U.S. for years waiting to find out whether they can, well, live in the U.S.  Democrats complain that the courts need more money to operate smoothly. The nation’s immigration courts have long functioned like an orphaned child of the immigration system. The courts’ budget equals about 2 percent of total federal funding for immigration law enforcement this fiscal year. Underfunding the courts “undermines justice,” said U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston, at the same hearing.  Dana Leigh Marks, president of the National Association of Immigration Judges, said in an interview that daily life in the immigration courts is “grim.” In addition to the judge shortage, there aren’t enough clerks and there’s no electronic filing of cases or motions.  Juan Osuna, director of the U.S. immigration courts, said help is on the way: More than 100 new judges will be hired if the Obama administration can overcome the hurdles."