"The current backlogs in the immigration court and asylum systems have long been a problem and the government offices tasked with bringing the backlog down still have much to do.

As detailed in the Human Rights First report In the Balance: Backlogs Delay Protection in the U.S. Asylum and Immigration Court Systems, there are four major challenges that have contributed to the current situation—chronic underfunding, hiring and staffing challenges, expanded use of expedited removal, and reprioritization of cases.
At a public event this week, officials from the Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR) (the government agency which houses the immigration courts) and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Asylum Division acknowledged the extent of the backlogs. Both agencies said hiring is the top priority this year." Continue Reading