New York’s immigration courts are severely overwhelmed by the flow of migrants arriving on buses. Cases were already piling up before the influx of new migrants arrived, and now they’ve just become worse. As a result, people have been waiting hours outside of the immigration courts in Manhattan every morning before dawn, notices of appearance have been delivered to the erroneous locations, and those who do not show up to their hearings may be deported without a chance to defend themselves. When seeking asylum, the immigration attorneys of Pozo Goldstein are there to help.
Issues with the Overwhelming Number of Newcomers and the Current Backlog
Since the spring, more than 21,000 migrants have traveled on buses from Texas and Arizona to reach New York City. New York’s immigration court already had a significant backlog of cases, and the present backlog might have disastrous effects for migrants, such as missed deadlines and absentee removal and deportation orders.
A federal judge recently ruled to end Title 42, which effectively ended the Trump administration’s policy of keeping asylum applicants in Mexico. This suggests that there may be an increased influx of visitors to the Big Apple.
Almost two million immigration cases are pending in the United States, with more than two hundred thousand of those located in New York City alone. With more and more refugees flooding into the city, the system is struggling to keep up.
Hearing Notifications Delivered to Incorrect Addresses
Many asylum-seekers have complained that they have not received their hearing notices because the Immigrant Visas court system has delivered them to incorrect addresses. Forgetting about court dates can result in deportation orders being issued without the defendant even being present at the hearing. It has been reported that deportation orders had been issued even as individuals waited outside the courthouse for aid.
Lack of support and failure to meet deadlines
A number of migrants have appointments with ICE and court dates that are set as far in the future as 2024. People need to go to these in order to seek for asylum, but they’re being held more than a year after they entered the country, which is against the law.
Refugees trying to get free legal representation from immigrant rights groups and lawyers are also resisting. The number of cases that pro bono attorneys and immigrant advocacy groups can be taken on is limited.