Amid recent immigration policies, one of which denies immigrants with TPS (temporary protected status) application for green cards, immigration judges across the United States express being overworked and under political pressure. Scarcity in number, lack of support staff, and political pressure from the Justice Department are among immigration judges’ primary concerns.
As there are only 500 immigration judges presiding in the United States, the backlog of 1.3 million cases continue to increase, resembling what Judge Dana Leigh Marks describes as, “holding death penalty cases in a traffic court setting.” Immigration judges preside over asylum cases, deciding what individuals get to come to and remain in the United States and which must be deported. Unlike federal court trial judges who are essentially appointed for life, immigration judges “are Justice Department employees who are appointed by and answer to the attorney general, a political appointee.” Furthermore, immigration judges are represented by a union; however, an executive order issued by the former Trump administration is putting the union in “danger of ceasing to exist.”
Immigration has, especially amid the Trump administration, stood as a polarizing topic across the nation. However, what mustn’t be forgotten or disregarded is that those individuals seeking immigration, asylum, and even temporary protection are not just parts of a polarizing topic but people — people with dreams, aspirations, and desires to provide for and protect those under their care and be the best versions of themselves they can be. For immigration help and services offered by professional immigration lawyers in Phoenix, AZ, click here to read about Cima Law Group.
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