Federal Courts Need More Money to Handle Immigration Cases

The U.S. federal courts, correctly assuming that they will have to handle a massive number of new immigration-related cases in the future, have asked Congress for a 7.6 percent increase in funding in the FY 2009 federal budget.

Overall, the Judiciary Branch is seeking $6.72 billion for fiscal year 2009, $4.97 billion of which would be needed just to pay the courts' salaries and expenses.

In her testimony (.pdf) before the Senate appropriations subcommittees, Federal Judge Julia Gibbons told lawmakers that the number of immigration-related cases will rise in the federal courts as the Bush Administration continues to implement stepped up enforcement efforts along the Mexican border. Since 2001, the number of Border Patrol agents assigned to the southwest has more than doubled and 100 more deputy U.S. Marshals have been assigned to the region. Detention facilities are also being expanded.

"The resultant increase in criminal filings we expect to see from this infusion of resources," said Judge Gibbons in a press statement, "will impact our district judges, clerks offices, probation and pretrial services offices, and federal defender offices on the border."

Also creating more work for the federal courts, bankruptcy filings are expected to rise sharply due to full implementation of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005.

Also See:
The Judicial Branch
U.S. Federal Court System