Data collected in 2022 from the Pew Research Center estimates there were approximately 11-million undocumented immigrants in the United States.
According to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, as of late 2023, the U.S. immigration court system faced a backlog of more than 3 million pending cases. This number has more than doubled since 2019 and continues to grow, placing immense pressure on the system.
Immigration judges are currently being asked to handle an average of 4,500 cases each and so struggle to manage their caseloads effectively. This bottleneck leads to significant delays in adjudicating cases, which often take years to resolve.
This backlog includes a mix of individuals seeking asylum, appealing deportation orders, or addressing other immigration-related issues. It reflects not only the increase in migration but also systemic inefficiencies, including a lack of resources and an insufficient number of judges to process cases at the current rate.
Efforts to address this issue have included calls for hiring more immigration judges and support staff and reforming procedures to streamline case management.
To get some insight into the challenges the system faces we talk with a retired Immigration Judge who spent 24 years hearing cases, mostly in South Florida.
Guest: Judge Denise Slavin served as an Immigration Judge beginning in 1995 until retiring in 2019.
Judge Slavin was appointed as an Immigration Judge in April 1995. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Maryland Baltimore County in 1977, and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Maryland at Baltimore Law School in 1982. From 1990 to 1995, she served as a senior trial attorney for the Office of Special Investigations, Criminal Division, Department of Justice, Washington, DC. From 1987 to 1990, she worked as a trial attorney with the former Immigration and Naturalization Service, Baltimore District Office. From 1982 to 1987, Judge Slavin served as an assistant general counsel and, from 1981 to 1982, as an intergroup relations representative (investigator) both with the Maryland Commission on Human Relations in Baltimore. Judge Slavin is a member of the Maryland Bar.
WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.
