Migration Policy Institute Brief Outlines Reforms Necessary to Break the Cycle of Dysfunction in the U.S. Immigration Courts

The U.S. immigration courts are struggling with a backlog of nearly 3.8 million removal cases through a system capped at a maximum 800 immigration judges—resulting in average wait times of about four years for an asylum hearing. A new Migration Policy Institute (MPI) policy brief examines how underfunding, increasing numbers of asylum applications and heavy reliance on executive actions have left the immigration courts struggling. In Breaking the Cycle of Dysfunction at the U.S. Immigration Courts, Kathleen Bush-Joseph, Doris Meissner and Muzaffar Chishti note the urgent need for adequate funding and administrative and legislative reforms to ensure the courts system can process cases in a timely and equitable manner.