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FACT BRIEF

As of early 2024, is the waiting period for a US immigration asylum hearing six to eight years?

By Tom Kertscher
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NO

The average waiting period for an immigration asylum hearing is 3.9 years, according to Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, which tracks enforcement of federal immigration laws.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, who represents the Madison area, claimed at a March 16, 2024, town hall that “right now, the waiting time in order to have your case heard is six to eight years” for migrants seeking asylum in the U.S.

His office cited to Wisconsin Watch a news story and a human rights group report of some waits that long.

People seeking asylum to remain in the U.S. must prove they faced or likely will face persecution in their home country.

TRAC said that under Biden administration initiatives, some newly arriving asylum seekers get expedited hearings.

As of March 20, 2024, according to TRAC, the average wait time overall is 1,424 days in fiscal 2024, which began Oct. 1, 2023.

See a full discussion of this at Wisconsin Watch
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Sauk-Prairie Indy Town Hall featuring WI CD 2 Congressman Mark Pocan
NBC News Immigration backlog has a U.S. asylum-seeker feeling like he's 'imprisoned in a country'
Human Rights First Asylum Office Delays Continue to Cause Harm
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Refugees and Asylum
Syracuse University Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse A Sober Assessment of the Growing U.S. Asylum Backlog
Syracuse University Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse Immigration Court Asylum Backlog
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.