Thousands of immigrants seeking legalization through the U.S. court system have had their hearings canceled and are being told by the government that it may be 2019 or later before their futures are resolved.
Some immigration lawyers fear the delay will leave their clients at risk of deportation as evidence becomes dated, witnesses disappear, sponsoring relatives die and dependent children become adults.
The increase in cancellations began late last summer after the Justice Department prioritized the tens of thousands of Central American migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, most of them mothers with children and unaccompanied minors.
Immigration lawyers in cities that absorbed a large share of those cases, including New York, San Antonio, Los Angeles and Denver, say they’ve had hearings canceled with little notice and received no new court dates. Work permits, green cards, asylum claims, and family reunifications hang in the balance.
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Many fear that cases like these will linger indefinitely at the bottom of the pile if there’s another wave of Central American migrants.
“Starting May or June, there is likely going to be another surge of unaccompanied kids or families,” said Manoj Govindaiah, a lawyer for the San Antonio-based Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services. “Presumably this issue is going to continue.”
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