If you need to book an appointment at New York City’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office for an asylum claim, be prepared to wait. At least until late 2032, according to a report by the New York Post.
A document reviewed by the outlet showed that migrants released at the southern border have a nearly decade-long wait for processing in the nation’s largest city. This means that the asylum seekers — with legitimate claims or not — have almost 10 years to stay.
"The backlog means [illegal aliens] may have to wait almost a decade just to enter the immigration court process — which is beset by further delays stretching out years, sources said."https://t.co/oyRMGj0XDT
— NumbersUSA (@NumbersUSA) March 14, 2023
It also means that New York City is a prime destination for migrants with questionable claims. Thomas Homan, acting ICE director from Jan. 2017 to June 2018, described the strategy as “actually pretty clever.”
Under President Joe Biden’s catch-and-release program, over 800,000 illegal migrants were apprehended and then let go at the border between March 2021 and Feb. 2023. It should be no surprise that the Big Apple was their number one destination.
As of last month, NYC ICE had nearly 40,000 asylum appointments booked.
While the Democratic White House’s open border policies remain in effect, more than 5.5 million illegals have crossed from Mexico during Biden’s watch. An estimated 1.2 million completely evaded law enforcement.
Furthermore, the enormous backlog creates a decade to wait just to get the immigration court process started. That process, once begun, can be several years in the works.
NYC is far and away the nation’s leader for the length of time to wait for an ICE appointment. However, the situation is dire in several other metropolitan areas.
For example, Atlanta is “mostly booked” through Jan. 2027 and San Antonio is “fully booked” for the same period. Chicago and Baltimore are “mostly booked” through early 2026 and Milwaukee and Indianapolis report being “fully booked” until early that year.
According to former Virginia-based immigration judge Matt O’Brien, some migrants shop around to either get a faster hearing date or to find one that will linger on for several years.
He noted that many individuals are “trying to get in courts where everything is delayed so they can get work authorization.” Their goal? To “basically hang out and wait for the next amnesty.”
