For months, the NBC4 I-Team has been investigating the United States Immigration Court system, as part of a project involving NBC stations across the country. We found a situation so dire even some judges agree justice is not being served properly.
A lack of resources has led to a backlog of hundreds of thousands of immigration cases that is keeping families -- and entire communities -- in limbo.
Data reviewed by the I-Team shows that the Immigration Court is taking more than twice as much time to complete fewer cases then it did a decade ago. According to the Government Accountability Office, the time required to complete a removal case for deportation has dramatically increased from 29 days in 2009 to 67 days in 2011 to 140 days in 2012 and 321 days in 2013. It now takes years for cases to be completed. These delays leave the lives of tens of thousands hanging in the balance.
Here in Los Angeles, the delays have gotten even worse than much of the rest of the country. Government data shows that undocumented immigrants wait an average of 800 days to have their cases completed. In some situations the earliest your case will be heard is 2020.
To read more of Matthew Glasser and John Cadiz Klemack's article, please click here.
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