Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
The Backlog At LA's Immigration Court Was Already Bad. The Shutdown Made It Worse
A line of people waits outside the immigration court on Olive Street in downtown Los Angeles in October 2018. (Leslie Berestein Rojas/LAist)
()
With the government shutdown, the backlog at the nation's immigration courts has only increased.
Last month, LAist/KPCC reported that there are 74,000 cases awaiting their court date in Los Angeles County, and fewer than 40 immigration judges to hear them.
But those judges are off the bench until the federal government reopens, and every day that goes by means more cases pile onto their workloads.
"We cannot come back to work, we cannot volunteer our time to come back to work," said Judge Ashley Tabbador with the Los Angeles Immigration Court and president of the National Association of Immigration Judges.
Support for LAist comes from
For people whose court dates coincided with the shutdown, they unfortunately go to the back of the line and will have to reschedule. That could mean a wait time of two to three years.
"It's not like when we come back, we can absorb the cases," Tabbador said in an interview with KPCC's Take Two. "There's no magical way to tell thousands of people to just come to their court hearings two weeks later so that the ones that were not heard can be heard."
And moving through cases can be slow: Judge Tabbador estimates that she and her colleagues can move through as few as 20 cases in the morning and 20 cases in the afternoon.
"Some of my colleagues have been pushed to hear 80 or 90 cases a day, which quite frankly is indefensible," she added.
Once the courts reopen, people who missed their dates will be able to reschedule, and officials will be able to tabulate how many more cases they'll have to wade through.
It's unclear when that will be, though. Last week, President Donald Trump said he may keep the government partially closed for "months or even years." And on Monday, Trump announced he would address the nation at 6 p.m. Tuesday (PST) regarding the border wall.
Support for LAist comes from
Hey, thanks. You read the entire story. And we love you for that. Here at LAist, our goal is to cover the stories that matter to you, not advertisers. We don't have paywalls, but we do have payments (aka bills). So if you love independent, local journalism, join us. Let's make the world a better place, together. Donate now.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance. -
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.
Best of LAist