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The Abraham A. Ribicoff Federal U.S. Courthouse, where immigration cases are heard, in Hartford on June 27, 2025. Credit: Dana Edwards / CT Mirror

No.

The U.S. immigration court system does have a backlog of nearly 3.8 million cases as of the third quarter of 2025. But, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, or TRAC, the average wait time for all cases was about 1.7 years as of earlier this year.

Asylum cases take much longer, however, with the National Immigration Forum reporting in early 2024 an estimated wait time of 4.3 years. There are nearly 2.4 million asylum seekers’ cases pending as of the third quarter of 2025.

The backlog is driven by the high number of applications, especially from people seeking protection from persecution, a shortage of immigration judges and support staff, and frequent policy changes that complicate proceedings. Even with recent efforts to hire judges and create new processing dockets, the system is still overwhelmed. 

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Reginald David is the Community Engagement Reporter for CT Mirror. He builds relationships across Connecticut to elevate community voices and deepen public dialogue around local issues. Previously, he was a producer at KCUR 89.3, Kansas City’s NPR station, where he created community-centered programming, led live event coverage for major events like the NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl Parade, and Royals Opening Day, and launched KC Soundcheck, a music series spotlighting local and national artists. Reginald has also hosted special segments, including an in-depth interview with civil rights leader Alvin Brooks and live community coverage on issues like racial segregation and neighborhood development. He began his public media career as an ‘Integrity in News’ intern at WNPR in Hartford.