Biden admin. overseeing historic backlog of 1.6 million immigration cases

The backlog "exploded" by almost 140,000 between October and December 2021, which is the largest increase on record

Published: January 20, 2022 1:36pm

Updated: January 20, 2022 2:46pm

The Biden Administration is overseeing a historic backlog of 1.6 million immigration court cases as illegal crossings at the southern border reach record highs.

According to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) at Syracuse University, the backlog "exploded" by nearly 140,000 during the period of October and December 2021, which is the largest increase on record.

Under the Trump administration, the report found that the largest 3-month backlog increase was 100,000 between June and August 2019.

“This is an enormous problem that’s facing the country,” said Susan Long, co-director of TRAC, according to Time Magazine. “The system is not working well.”

Department of Homeland Security data shows that southern border encounters of migrants have more than doubled since November 2020.

DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has confirmed that border officials have been releasing asylum seekers into the U.S. with a court date or a "notice to report" to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement office at a later late.

It is unclear exactly how many of these individuals have been released into the U.S. during this fiscal year.