Tyche Hendricks for KQED reports on a San Francisco Bay Area case showing the human impacts of the Biden administration’s expedited processing of asylum cases announced in May and implemented in August for recently arrived families. The “dedicated docket” aims to quickly resolve asylum cases, with the hope of a decision within 300 days of the initial court appearance. It is part of an effort to prevent such cases from slipping into an immigration court backlog that recently surpassed 1.5 million cases. See Backlogged Immigration Courts Could Get Help From Biden Plan, But Some Want a Total Overhaul.
Unlike criminal proceedings, attorneys are not provided to noncitizens facing removal from the United States, including those seeking asylum because they fear persecution in their home country. Without legal help, thousands of asylum seekers must navigate a complicated and unfamiliar system on their own — and face deportation if they fail. In her story, Hendricks reviews the difficulties of finding immigration counsel for asylum seekers of modest means.
KJ