Philly’s immigration court overburdened

The case of two foreign-born women whose cases spent years working their way through Philadelphia Immigration Court underscores the tremendous backlog facing the court. Applicants can remain in limbo for years, and the number of cases pending before just three judges saw a 20 percent increase from the previous year, reports the Daily News.

Last month, immigration lawyer Steven Morley was added as a fourth judge, but it is unclear whether this will do much to ease the strain — a backlog triggered in part by the Department of Homeland Security, according to the article. New judges have to undergo a period of training and often don’t take on full caseloads.