“Texas Immigration Court Backlog Tops 321,000 Amid Judge Shake-Up”

Leigha Simonton was quoted in the Dallas Morning News and The Texas Lawbook article, “Texas Immigration Court Backlog Tops 321,000 Amid Judge Shake-Up.” The article examines the growing immigration court backlog in Texas, highlighting the increase in deportation orders and the significant turnover among immigration judges. It also explores trends in federal immigration prosecutions across Texas, including differences among the state’s federal districts.

Simonton, Dykema Member and former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, explains that the high number of methamphetamine prosecutions in the Northern District is largely tied to the district’s major interstate highways, which serve as distribution routes for drugs transported from Mexico. She also discusses the district’s longstanding focus on firearms prosecutions, particularly involving offenders with serious criminal histories and domestic violence records.