ICE Prosecutorial Discretion: Latest Details on
New Immigration Court Filings and Closures

Thursday, August 2, 2012 at 2:00 PM (Eastern US)

1. What is TRAC?
   • Research Center at Syracuse University (established 1989)
     • TRAC Website
     • About TRAC
     • TRAC Immigration
   • Co-directors: Professors Susan B. Long and David Burnham
   • Self-supporting: Webinar funded by Four Freedoms Fund


2. Data obtained by TRAC FOIAs to monitor ICE prosecutorial discretion and Immigration Court caseload
   • Where the data come from: case-by-case records on all Immigration Court Proceedings
     • see About the Data
   • Terminology: Basic types of court outcomes
     • Deportation orders (removal, voluntary departure)
     • Allowed to stay in U.S. (relief, termination, adminstrative closure)


3. TRAC latest reports: Immigration Court data through June 28, 2012
   • Court Backlog: Immigration Backlog, Wait Times, Keep Rising , July 19, 2012
   • Prosecutorial Discretion: ICE Prosecutorial Discretion Program: Latest Details, July 23, 2012
   • New ICE Filings: Drop in ICE Deportation Filings in Immigration Court, July 30, 2012
   • Index listing to earlier TRAC reports


4. Overview of TRAC Findings:
   • Immigration Court backlog up 5.6% so far this year, up 20% since end of FY 2010
   • Wait Times and Average Days to Closure All Rising
   • cases in backlog have now been waiting average of 526 days
   • average days to closure
   • all closures - 385 days
   • when relief granted - 773 days
   • prosecutorial discretion closure - 803 days
   • Prosecutorial Discretion closures continue without slackening
   • reached 5,684 (1.9% of September's court backlog)
   • LA, Denver, San Francisco continue to lead nation with most PD closures
   • pace of closures - time line details
   • noteworthy differences by nationality
   • New ICE Immigration Court filings entering pileline
   • TRAC's projections show filings down 10% this year (~24,000 fewer)
   • ...but some courts show increases, and others down sharply
   • ...similarly trends up/down vary by nationality
   
   
5. Where you can get more details -- by court, hearing location, nationality -- TRAC online data and tools


6. Discussion -- attendee questions