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Effects of the shutdown are not only being felt on the national level; they hit close to home as well. Austin’s Lyndon B. Johnson Library closed its doors following the news from Congress, and national parks like Big Bend closed visiting centers, campgrounds and restrooms. Though the shutdown isn’t expected to impede tax returns, the Central Texas IRS employs about 5,200 people, according to a 2016 article from the Austin American Statesman; all of which were furloughed.
For prospective immigrants, the shutdown meant a stalemate at immigration court. In Texas, over 119,000 cases are backlogged according to data from Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse. As the shutdown lengthened, more cases continued to pile on as immigration judges sat at home gavel-less.
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