Over 115,000 Seeking Asylum in US Face Delays Due to Staff Shortages

A report by GAO reveals that more than 115,000 people seeking asylum in the United States are still waiting for their cases to be heard by immigration authorities because of the huge backlog of applicants as well as staff shortage.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — More than 115,000 people seeking asylum in the United States are still waiting for their cases to be heard by immigration authorities because of the huge backlog of applicants as well as staff shortage, a US Government Accountability Office (GAO) report said.

"As of September 2015, the Department of Homeland Security's US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has a backlog of 106,121 principal applicants, of which 64,254 have exceeded required time frames for adjudication," the report, issued on Wednesday, stated.

The number of asylum seekers in the United States has doubled in five years from 47,118 in fiscal year 2010 to 108,152 in fiscal year 2014, and the USCIS plans to hire additional staff to address the backlog, the GAO observed.

"Each year, tens of thousands of aliens in the United States apply for asylum, which provides refuge to those who have been persecuted or fear persecution on protected grounds," the report noted.

USCIS asylum officers and immigration judges in the Department of Justice adjudicate asylum applications in the United States.