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Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson released a statement along with the numbers posted on the CBP website Monday saying border security can not overcome the "powerful push factors", of poverty and violence that exist in Central America. "At the same time, we must enforce our immigration laws consistent with our enforcement priorities". "This has included, and will continue to include, providing individuals with an opportunity to assert claims for asylum and other forms of humanitarian relief". Today, the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse reports that there was a backlog of 512,000 cases as of August, around a quarter of which are for children. Dallas recently added a judge to help ease the caseload burden. The wait is now closer to two years, and in some areas, nearly three. More than that, more than 86 percent of immigrants were able to demonstrate a "credible fear" of returning to their home countries, US Citizenship and Immigration Services said. "But, the reality is the system is broken, and badly in need of comprehensive immigration reform that only Congress can provide", he said. We're also establishing an in-country referral program in countries of origin including Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala. And according to Brané, the new border statistics only confirm that Central Americans will continue to find a way to the United States, no matter what stands before then.
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