275,316 - that's the number of cases pending in immigration court as the backlog of deportation cases has increased 48% since 2008 - a new record. A lot of this has to do with the massive increase in immigration enforcement that has occurred in this Administration (which the antis deny is actually happening at all). EOIR is trying to keep up - 50 new judges have been hired recently. But they need more money to ensure people get reasonably fast processing and also to ensure that Immigration Judges have manageable caseloads. There are some courts with judges so overloaded that it is very difficult for people to get a fair hearing. I've heard immigration court described as having the "busyness of a traffic court with cases having the consequences of a capital case."

Some good news. For years, "notarios" have been victimizing thousands of immigrants by giving bogus immigration advice, filing for immigration benefits for which applicants are ineligible and often, outright stealing money. Often, these are individuals pretending to be lawyers and one way they do this is to become a notary public (which usually involves little more than paying a small application fee and filling out a simple application form for the privilege of being able to verify signatures). In many Latin American countries, the term "notario" refers to a type of lawyer and many of these scammers like to foster the confusion.

Today the Administration will unveil an initative that is a combined effort of the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice and the Federal Trade Commission. According to DHS, the effort will focus on enforcing existing laws, educating the public and better inter-agency coordination to combat the scams.

We'll know more this afternoon after the formal plan is unveiled.

About The Author

Greg Siskind is a partner in Siskind Susser's Memphis, Tennessee, office. After graduating magna cum laude from Vanderbilt University, he received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Chicago. Mr. Siskind is a member of AILA, a board member of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, and a member of the ABA, where he serves on the LPM Publishing Board as Marketing Vice Chairman. He is the author of several books, including the J Visa Guidebook and The Lawyer's Guide to Marketing on the Internet. Mr. Siskind practices all areas of immigration law, specializing in immigration matters of the health care and technology industries. He can be reached by email at gsiskind@visalaw.com.

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