Partial shutdown delayed 60,000 immigration court hearings

LOS ANGELES – The partial government shutdown that ended last month has delayed about 60,000 immigration court hearings.

Kathryn Mattingly, a spokeswoman for the Executive Office for Immigration Review, said Friday that hearings have been rescheduled for the earliest available date.

With more than 800,000 pending cases, the immigration courts overseen by the Department of Justice are notoriously backlogged and at least one judge said she has no openings on her calendar until 2022.

Mattingly says immigrants can file a motion asking for an earlier date if needed.

The 35-day shutdown over President Donald Trump’s demand for a border wall halted immigration court hearings for immigrants who were not detained, including asylum seekers hoping to stay in the United States.