As the federal government shutdown halts many services nationwide, immigration courts, including Charlotte's, which serves North Carolina and South Carolina, remain open.
The Department of Justice says immigration courts are still operating through the shutdown because of what it calls a “national emergency” at the border.
A memo released last week from the Department of Justice said the backlog of nearly four million cases nationwide would grow even larger if courts paused operations.
During previous government shutdowns, hearings continued for people in detention, but other hearings were postponed.
Charlotte’s immigration court has a backlog of more than 130,000 cases, the eighth highest in the country. Immigration attorneys tell WFAE there is no pause on non-detained hearings at Charlotte’s court at this time.
