Corrections and Clarifications: An earlier version of this report misstated asylum case data from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse. The organization says immigration judges granted asylum or other immigration relief in 50% of completed cases over 20 years.

The immigration court backlog in the United States has surged by over 1 million cases in 2023, reaching a total of over 3 million, as the number of migrants seeking asylum at the U.S. border continues to rise. The backlog, which exceeded 3 million cases in November, has become a significant challenge for the Biden administration. Despite efforts to address the issue, including hiring more judges, the backlog is growing rapidly, with daily removals and enforcement returns nearly double the pre-pandemic average. The backlog is expected to be a key political issue in the upcoming election year. The Biden administration is seeking additional funding to hire more judges, but the situation remains a complex challenge for the immigration court system.

Source: USA Today