The Biden administration revealed plans to expedite immigration court cases for some single adults caught while illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.
Under the new program announced on Thursday, individuals with court dates in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City may be placed in a "recent arrivals docket."
U.S. immigration judges will try to make an order on their asylum claims within six months, rather than four years.
The Justice Department has appointed 10 judges to oversee the program. However, the exact number of cases they will handle remains unknown, thereby making it difficult to assess the potential impact of the initiative.
The selection of the five cities was based on the availability of judges to hear cases and their status as major destinations for migrants.
It comes after the Biden administration revealed new rules that would require border-crossers to be assessed at a screening stage for criminality and security threats before they are considered for asylum or immediate deportation.
The new programs are part of a broader effort to reduce illegal immigration in the run-up to Presidential elections, according to senior administration officials.
Administration officials attribute the absence of more significant actions to the failure of a comprehensive Senate bill earlier this year.
"This administrative step is no substitute for the sweeping and much-needed changes that the bipartisan Senate bill would deliver, but in the absence of Congressional action we will do what we can to most effectively enforce the law and discourage irregular migration," said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Asylum seekers become eligible for work permits within six months of their arrival, which critics argue incentivizes individuals to come to the U.S. even if their asylum claims are weak.
Efforts to expedite asylum decisions for new arrivals have been ongoing for years across multiple administrations.
Both the Obama and Trump administrations attempted to accelerate certain cases, with initiatives dating back to 2014.
In 2021, the Biden administration introduced a "dedicated docket" for asylum-seeking families in 10 cities, prioritizing their cases to be decided within 300 days.
In 2022, the administration proposed a plan for asylum officers, rather than immigration judges, to decide a limited number of family claims in nine cities.
The immigration court backlog has indeed surged to a staggering 3.6 million cases, with approximately 600 judges presiding over 68 courts nationwide.
However, the plan announced on Thursday does not include funding for additional judges.
