SAN ANTONIO – Confronted by an immense backlog of nearly a half-million cases, the nation’s immigration courts will be adding 55 new judges with funding secured by Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas.
“We’re hoping that one-fourth of those judges will be in Texas. San Antonio will get them, the Valley will get them, Houston, Dallas, El Paso,” Cuellar said.
Cuellar’s announcement comes as more Central American families and unaccompanied children are once again showing up in South Texas following the initial 2014 influx.
The U.S. Border Patrol reports that since last October nearly 25,000 have turned themselves in to agents in the Rio Grande Valley, most fleeing ongoing drug violence and corruption in their home countries.
“All we need to do is have a judge decide whether somebody stays or somebody goes,” Cuellar said.
But, he said, the new judges won’t be ready to hear cases until early next year.
According to figures from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University, Texas has a backlog of more than 75,000 immigration cases, including over 22,000 in San Antonio where the average wait time for a hearing is at least two years.
Linda Brandmiller, a longtime immigration attorney, said unlike most adult immigrants who must wait until 2019 for a court date, Central American women and children are considered priority cases, many with hearings within months of arriving in the U.S.
But, she said, the majority have no legal representation to plead their cases.
“Even with an attorney, it’s difficult. Without an attorney, it’s nearly impossible,” Brandmiller said.
Brandmiller said she worries more immigration judges will make matters worse for immigrants.
“All that’s going to mean is that they’re going to be in the court system quicker and they’re going to be unrepresented,” she said.
Brandmiller said by trying to speed up the legal process, the government is trying to discourage other immigrants.
“Those conditions are life threatening and people are going to be leaving and fleeing no matter what waits for them on this side, whether it’s detention or court or even deportation,” she said.