Flood of Immigration Cases Burdens Federal Courts

Federal prosecutions of undocumented immigrants have jumped this spring, flooding courtrooms in border states, according to a Syracuse University study released Thursday.

More than 4,000 cases were referred to federal prosecutors nationwide between March and April — the largest number of immigrant cases brought for a comparable period since the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency was created in 2005, the Syracuse report states. Prosecutions included thousands of misdemeanor illegal entry prosecutions and deportation cases against immigrants found to have previous criminal records.

“People already are working 10- or 12-hour days and on weekends to just meet the caseload,” Albuquerque U.S. District Court clerk Matt Dykeman told AP. “It’s not an eight-hour day, because you have to process them and get them in court for that detention hearing.”