New state laws, record deportations clogging federal courts in South
Undocumented Guatemalan immigrants are searched before boarding a deportation flight in June in Mesa, Arizona.
November 18th, 2011
10:44 AM ET

New state laws, record deportations clogging federal courts in South

The Obama administration is deporting undocumented residents at a faster rate than that of any other president. Meanwhile, many southern states are pushing forward with their own immigration laws designed to achieve maximum deportation, as well.

In all, there is a national backlog of about 270,000 immigration cases. And that is a big problem for the courts, Atlanta immigration lawyer Charles Kuck says.

(Click the audio player to hear more on this story from CNN Radio's John Sepulvado)

“We’re actually seeing far more cases because of the tough laws at the state levels. So the cases are getting slower here,” Kuck said. “So cases that should take four, five (or) six months are taking one and a half to two and a half years to get adjudicated.”

To help address the courtroom overload, both in the South and in other areas around the country, the Obama administration is trying to figure out which cases to pursue and which to drop, according to a memo released this summer by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) chief John Morton.

The New York Times reports the administration is finally implementing guidelines to actually implement the policies.

Administration to pare down immigration cases

Kuck says if ICE starts uniformly dropping low priority cases, it could be a help to long backlogs. But the real problem, as he sees it, is money.

“We have a limited number of judges. There’s no additional funding to get more judges,” Kuck said. “There’s also a limited number of government lawyers, so as a consequence, more cases are coming through the system. So we have overburdened courts, overburdened judges and a delay in justice overall.”

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Filed under: Immigration
soundoff (31 Responses)
  1. Jj

    Ive noticed that lately too banz. we shall see monday

    November 18, 2011 at 6:38 pm | Report abuse |
  2. s kel

    MIKE G theres a new website to help disabled vets that are unemlpoyed. Ill look for it and hopefully will post it.

    November 18, 2011 at 8:25 pm | Report abuse |
  3. s kel

    I hope they (Isreal) destroys Irans nuke making plants.

    November 18, 2011 at 8:29 pm | Report abuse |
  4. tif31

    If they do, it will be the start of something REALLY big.

    November 18, 2011 at 9:22 pm | Report abuse |
  5. Jody

    The people here illegally should ALL be deported immediately. We are still in the same situation security wise as we were on 9/11. What will it take for the USA to wake up and clean up this country leaving other countries to take care of their own business. Keep our nose out of other nation's problems. We have a major problem here.

    November 19, 2011 at 9:21 am | Report abuse |
  6. whatsupwitdis

    Who would have guessed that in the South, where so much migrant labor is needed to turn big ag profits, that there would be a problem with deportation?? Must be a glitch in the system somewhere ...maybe...duh!

    November 19, 2011 at 9:59 am | Report abuse |
  7. GOD DOES NOT LIKE UGLY

    GOD GRANT ME THE SERENITY TO CHANGE THE THINGS THAT ARENT RIGHT & TO EXCEPT THE THINGS I CANNOT

    November 19, 2011 at 11:40 pm | Report abuse |
  8. Showmeyerpapers

    Not only have illegal invaders slit the throats of the working man they are responsible for 75% of the crime here in denver radioreference dot com monitor police and ems frequencies for yourself they must have killed 250000Americans in the last 50 years look at lapd online all most wanted 95% spanic. The clovis were here first so if you aint white GET THE HELL OFF OUR LAND!

    November 20, 2011 at 4:29 pm | Report abuse |
  9. lou50

    Build more courts and ship them all out!

    November 20, 2011 at 6:42 pm | Report abuse |
  10. Angel Bethany

    Well, well, well, now isn't that convenient. OWS it as Bloomberg's house today planned since yesterday. Mayor Bloomberg is on the hot seat because of illegal police actions against a council member and he sent under cover officers into churches to identify protesters. He is handlling OWS protesters illegally. So, what does he do? An indiviidual that they have been tracking for months is NOW threatening, so he decides TODAY to call a press conference???. He is merely trying to deflect the widespread negative publicity and try to paint himself a hero. He is no hero of mine because I see him for who he really is.

    November 20, 2011 at 7:48 pm | Report abuse |
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