CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Immigration advocates are warning that thousands of people in the Charlotte region already waiting for their day in court could face even longer delays.
Ruth Santana, co-director of the Immigrant Justice Program , said the government shutdown could double or triple wait times for immigrants seeking legal status if it continues.
"Cases that before would generally take maybe about five to six years to come to fruition and to complete now could take anywhere from 10 to 12," Santana said.
The Immigrant Justice Program offers legal representation to immigrants navigating the court system. While operations should continue at a normal pace initially, Santana said that pace was already stagnant for many cases.
The backlog in Charlotte has already swelled to more than 133,000