The new immigration chief appointed by President Donald Trump believes that as many as 30 million people are in the U.S. illegally, far surpassing the formal assessments.
By Catholics for Catholics
The new immigration chief appointed by President Donald Trump believes that as many as 30 million people are in the U.S. illegally, far surpassing the formal assessments.
According to a story by Newsmax, Executive Office for Immigration Review Director Daren Margolin said that knowing those figures are important, as the Trump administration hastens efforts to lower a 3.6 million-case backlog in immigration courts.
“The reality is, we will never have enough judges to handle currently 3.6-plus million cases, and I believe 25 to 30 million people … are here in the United States illegally,” Margolin told Axios.
Margolin officially took helm of the organization, the Justice Department office that oversees the immigration court system, in October. He is a retired Marine Corps colonel.
Margolin told Axios he retired as an immigration judge in early 2024 because of his opposition to the Biden administration’s management of the migrant wave at the southern border.
“Personally, I felt like a co-conspirator in treason,” Margolin said.
After the arrests of illegal migrants, the next period of the administration’s mass deportation effort is expected to concentrate on immigration courts, where a likely 3.6 million cases remain unresolved.
If the court rulings are speeded, this could permit U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to carry out more deportations, since most cases end in final removal orders.
According to data shared with Axios, the backlog declined by 341,006 cases between Trump’s inauguration last year and Jan. 30.
Newsmax reported that one factor was a decrease in new cases tied to lower border crossings during Trump’s first year back in office.
Margolin is also looking to limit the appeals process for removal orders, a step that could increase the number of people eligible for expedited deportation.
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