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In April, U.S. immigration authorities apprehended 98,977 people at the U.S.-Mexico border, the highest monthly total since 2007. Families and unaccompanied children from Central America, many of whom ask for asylum, made up the majority.
Most asylum applicants pass their initial credible fear screenings, but only about 20% ultimately win protection and the right to remain in the United States, according to the Justice Department. That final decision can take years, with a ballooning backlog of nearly 870,000 immigration cases and an average wait time of 736 days, according to a Syracuse University database, the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse.
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