Current:Home > NewsNew immigration court docket aims to speed up removals of newly arrived migrants-LoTradeCoin
New immigration court docket aims to speed up removals of newly arrived migrants
View Date:2025-01-11 08:21:44
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration said Thursday that a new fast-track docket in immigration courts will cut the time it takes decide asylum claims from years to months for some single adults.
Migrants who settle in five cities — Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York — will be placed in a “recent arrivals docket” that aims to have judges rule on their claims within 180 days, instead of the four years or so that it currently takes. The bottlenecked courts are believed to be a significant incentive for more people to come, especially those with weak claims.
The Justice Department has assigned 10 judges to the effort. Authorities said they didn’t know how many cases they would handle, making it difficult to assess the potential impact.
Administration officials said the failure of a sweeping Senate bill this year explains the absence of bolder moves, a familiar line of attack against Republicans who have seized on unprecedented border arrivals to fault President Joe Biden’s handling of immigration in an election year.
“This administrative step is no substitute for the sweeping and much-needed changes that the bipartisan Senate bill would deliver, but in the absence of Congressional action we will do what we can to most effectively enforce the law and discourage irregular migration,” said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Authorities said the five cities were chosen because because judges there had some availability to hear cases and because they were big destinations for migrants.
Asylum seekers are eligible for work permits within six months of arrival, which critics say is an incentive to come even if their claims are weak. The longer they’re in the U.S. and have established families or community ties, the more opposition there is to eventually sending them back to their home country.
The administration has tried for years to move more new arrivals to the front of the line for asylum decisions, hoping to deport those whose claims are denied within months instead of years. The Obama and Trump administrations also tried to accelerate some cases on a separate track going back to 2014.
In 2021, the Biden administration introduced a “dedicated docket” for asylum-seeking families in 10 cities to be bumped to the head of the line in court and have their cases decided within 300 days. In 2022, the Biden administration introduced a plan to have asylum officers, not immigration judges, decide a limited number of family claims in nine cities.
Dana Leigh Marks, who retired in 2021 after 35 years as an immigration judge, said asylum seekers, even those who can pay, have been unable to hire attorneys under previous “rocket dockets” because there wasn’t enough time. Marks also said those initiatives failed to slow migration.
“It’s a political response because the problem is so enormous and people are concerned, but it’s really just a superficial Band-Aid on a gaping wound,” Marks said. “It’s never worked in the past and there’s no reason to think this time would be different.”
A labor representative for immigration judges said he was waiting to learn the scope of the latest effort and how it will affect caseloads but said it had potential to undermine rights to a fair hearing. “Hopefully the Biden administration learned from past mistakes,” said Matt Biggs, president of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers.
The immigration court backlog has surged to 3.6 million cases. There are roughly 600 judges in 68 courts. The plan announced Thursday would not include money for more judges.
The announcement came a week after another new policy aimed at a limited number of asylum seekers to reject their claims earlier in the process if they are deemed public safety threats.
___=
Spagat reported from San Diego.
veryGood! (1)
Related
- Veterans Day restaurant deals 2024: More than 80 discounts, including free meals
- Abortion on the ballot: Amarillo set to vote on abortion travel ban this election
- Italian appeals court reduces sentences for 2 Americans convicted of killing policeman
- Jason Derulo Recalls Near-Death Experience After Breaking His Neck in the Gym
- Kendall Jenner Is Back to Being a Brunette After Ditching Blonde Hair
- British nurse Lucy Letby, convicted of killing 7 babies, found guilty of another attempted murder
- See How Tom Brady, Glen Powell and More Stars Celebrated Fourth of July
- In the UK election campaign’s final hours, Sunak battles to the end as Labour’s Starmer eyes victory
- It's cozy gaming season! Video game updates you may have missed, including Stardew Valley
- What is the Nathan's hot dog eating contest record? List of champions, records
Ranking
- 'Cowboy Carter' collaborators to be first country artists to perform at Rolling Loud
- Victoria and David Beckham Celebrate 25th Wedding Anniversary in the Most Posh Way Possible
- Pennsylvania Senate passes bill encouraging school districts to ban students’ phone use during day
- Why Takeru Kobayashi isn't at the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest
- SNL's Chloe Fineman Says Rude Elon Musk Made Her Burst Into Tears as Show Host
- Video shows dog turning on stove, starting fire in Colorado Springs home
- Maryland OKs $50.3M contract for removal of bridge collapse debris
- Florida grower likely source in salmonella outbreak tied to cucumbers, FDA, CDC say
Recommendation
-
Fire crews on both US coasts battle wildfires, 1 dead; Veterans Day ceremony postponed
-
Bridgerton Casting Director Receives Unsolicited X-Rated Audition Videos Daily
-
Mindy Kaling and the rise of the 'secret baby' trend
-
United Airlines texts customers live radar maps during weather delays
-
Lady Gaga Joins Wednesday Season 2 With Jenna Ortega, So Prepare to Have a Monster Ball
-
Why Scott Disick Cheekily Told Social Media Users to Go F Yourself
-
Cleveland officer fatally shot while trying to serve a warrant
-
Man tells jury he found body but had no role in fatal attack on Detroit synagogue leader