“Entrapment”: Trump’s Immigration Delays Fuel Jump in ICE Arrest Targets

A work slowdown by the Trump administration’s immigration offices has exploded the backlog of applications for citizenship, green cards and work permits to an unprecedented 7.5 million people, according to the latest agency data.

Add the millions of immigrants waiting on decisions for asylum, work visas and permission to stay in the U.S. for humanitarian reasons, and the total backlog soars to more than 12.1 million.

Why it matters: The delays have put potentially millions of people in legal immigration limbo — vulnerable to being arrested by ICE agents and deported, even if they’ve followed the rules to try to stay in the U.S.

Officials say the delays are being driven by the administration’s new focus on stricter vetting. A wave of DOGE-induced retirements also reduced the workforce at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

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Zoom in: People with pending applications — including those who entered the U.S. legally — are being arrested while traveling domestically through airports such as those in Philadelphia and Denver.

Unauthorized immigrants who’ve married U.S. citizens and apply to adjust their immigration status are being arrested at their application interviews.

Even refugees, who are eligible to apply for permanent residency after one year of living in the U.S., are being targeted for ICE detention while their cases are processed — a reversal from previous practice.

What they’re saying: The delays ensure that “these individuals are vulnerable to detention and deportation for longer, giving [ICE] a larger pool of individuals to pull from to increase this administration’s deportation numbers,” Pierce said.

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Zoom out: There were about 2 million more people waiting on case decisions this June compared to June 2024, according to the agency’s monthly data report on six application types, including citizenship, permanent residency and work authorization.

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