As immigration backlog rises, so do ICE’s prospects
Teh Trump administration is facing a meaningful backlog of legal immigration applications from both outside and inside the United States, with approximately 7.5 million people awaiting approval for citizenship, green cards, or work permits, marking the highest number ever recorded. An additional 4.4 million individuals have applied for asylum,visas,or othre protections to stay in the country. there are about 12.1 million pending applications with 7 million experiencing delays beyond normal processing times, partly due to recent workforce reductions at USCIS and increased scrutiny in application vetting. These delays may cause existing permissions to expire, perhaps leading to more illegal immigrants targeted for deportation, especially as ICE has increased arrests of visa overstayers and travelers without criminal records. Simultaneously occurring, efforts to improve immigration processing face challenges amid internal staffing issues and policy directives aimed at cautious approval procedures.
The Trump administration faces a growing backlog of legal immigration applications from foreigners outside the United States, as well as millions in the country and looking to change their legal status.
Approximately 7.5 million people, the highest number ever, are waiting in line to see if they will be approved for U.S. citizenship, a green card, or work permit, according to new data from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
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An additional 4.4 million people have applied for asylum, a work visa, and various other protections to remain in the country.
Across the board of citizenship, permanent residency, and work authorization approvals, roughly 2 million more applicants were waiting for decisions in June this year compared to two years ago, according to USCIS statistics.
Of the 12.1 million total applications pending decisions by USCIS, 7 million cases have been flagged internally by USCIS as taking longer than normal to reach a decision.
The delays follow mass retirements at USCIS during the Department of Government Efficiency’s workforce reductions in early 2025, as well as the White House’s directive to USCIS that officers be more careful as they vet and approve applicants.
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The delay in approving and denying applications means applicants whose existing permissions to be in the country may expire while they wait, opening up a new demographic of illegal immigrants who can be targeted for deportation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
ICE has increasingly focused on targeting illegal immigrants without criminal histories. In recent weeks, ICE arrests at airports have jumped from the historical norm of 10 per week to upwards of 40 per week. Federal immigration authorities are focused on nabbing people who have overstayed visas and are traveling domestically.
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