The backlog of active cases in the federal immigration courts in the US, which currently stands at almost 692,000, could be about to be eased, thanks to the addition of new help. The upcoming Budget Bill in the House of Representatives will feature a proposal for the hiring of a further 100 immigration teams, according to Congressman Henry Cuellar.
The new teams will include further judges, office space, and technology, as well as support staff. The Congressman issued a statement about the proposal in which he noted that the current dearth of available judges in the immigration system in the US has resulted in immigrants who cross over the border either being allowed to go free with a promise to go back to court at a later time or with them being held in detention for extended periods.
Cuellar points out that neither of these options is good for US immigration laws or even for the immigrants themselves, and voiced the belief that the addition of new judges to the US border will result in immigrants being given a fairer treatment by the system.
The addition of new judges means that the number of judges who are able to hear immigration cases in the US will increase to as many as 584 across the country, with the intention being to have a total of 700 judges in hearing cases on the border.