ORLANDO, Fla. — A massive backlog of appointments at a local immigration office is forcing people to sleep outside and wait in long lines for their mandatory appointments.
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Officials said this is a broken system. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement just can’t keep up with the volume.
Immigration experts said a staffing shortage, mixed with decades without immigration reform and budget cuts, have stretched the legal system to its breaking point.
An immigration attorney Channel 9 spoke to said the entire immigration system is in complete chaos.
READ: ‘What do we do?’: Many camp outside ICE after being turned away from appointments last week
“For example, immigrants of people who are seeking asylum or pending asylum and are waiting for interviews for, you know, 3,456 years, people who are employed at a file to renew their work authorization from Immigration Services, and they do so six months in advance, and yet their extension is only granted for, you know, five, six months,” said Frank Symphorien, an immigration attorney.
ICE leaders said they are working to get rid of the backlog. They are offering to expedite some services for a $2,000 fee to some people.
People who have made it inside the building say there are only five to eight agents to help.
READ: Sanford church brings food, drinks to people waiting outside Orlando immigration office
U.S. Immigration Services announced a new policy going into effect on Wednesday. It states most immigrants with recently expired or soon-to-be expired work permits can continue working on those documents for up to 540 days, instead of the current 180.
ICD said that should help chip away at a massive backlog it blames on a precarious financial situation made worse by the pandemic.
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