A recent report from the House Judiciary Committee has alleged that President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’s administration has facilitated what is described as a “quiet amnesty” for nearly a million illegal aliens in the United States. This report highlights a significant backlog in immigration court cases, which has swelled to over 3.7 million new cases since the beginning of Fiscal Year 2021. In the first three quarters of Fiscal Year 2024 alone, more than 1.5 million new cases were added, signaling a pattern of administrative practices that some claim prioritize avoidance of case adjudication over legitimate legal proceedings.
The report contends that rather than thoroughly evaluating the claims of illegal aliens seeking asylum or other forms of relief, the Biden-Harris administration has been encouraging immigration judges to expedite dismissals and closures of cases. This approach seemingly circumvents the traditional judicial processes designed for assessing individual claims based on their specific merits. As a result, a process once meant to carefully scrutinize asylum requests has, according to critics, devolved into a system that allows many individuals to reside in the U.S. without facing immigration consequences.
Data from the report emphasizes the stark contrast in the handling of asylum cases. From Fiscal Year 2017 to Fiscal Year 2020, fewer than 13,000 asylum cases were recorded as “not adjudicated.” In comparison, over 109,500 cases fell into that category by Fiscal Year 2024, indicating a worrying trend towards non-adjudication. The implication is that high volumes of cases have effectively become neglected, which often results in individuals remaining in the country under the guise of pending legal status without resolution to their immigration issues.
Furthermore, the report indicates that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has not pursued at least 200,000 cases and issued Notices to Appear (the initial step that commences removal proceedings) for only a small portion of these cases. Consequently, the majority of individuals who had their cases unaddressed by DHS, while technically still in the legal system, may remain in the U.S. indefinitely without facing deportation or other immigration actions. This failure to effectively manage the immigration system is presented as contributing significantly to the current uncertainty surrounding immigration policy.
The review also addresses alarming statistics regarding the outcome of asylum applications. It was found that only 14 percent of asylum applicants were granted their requests, while a notable 86 percent experienced outcomes that led to their claims being denied, abandoned, dismissed, withdrawn, or administratively closed. These outcomes reflect the potential inefficiency of the system and suggest that, despite the administration’s rhetoric on asylum, the reality may indicate a larger systemic failure in addressing immigration claims in a timely and just manner.
In summary, the findings presented by the House Judiciary Committee shed light on the controversial handling of immigration cases under the Biden-Harris administration. Critics argue that the approach taken has led to a significant increase in the number of illegal aliens remaining in the U.S. through processes that bypass rigorous legal examination. The report’s conclusions raise concerns about the integrity and efficacy of the immigration system, prompting discussions about potential reforms and the implications of current policies on future immigration trends.