WASHINGTON, 17th May, 2024 (WAM) -- The Biden administration said that a new fast-track docket in immigration courts will cut the time it takes to decide asylum claims from years to months for some single adults, Associated Press reported on Friday.
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 did not know how many cases they would handle, making it difficult to assess the potential impact.
“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 judges there had some availability to hear cases and because they were big destinations for migrants.
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.