Across the United States thousands of immigrants are waiting to get their day in court. But there is an acute shortage of court staff and that is why, there could be around half a million cases still pending for resolution, according to the latest data from a university source.

Currently, there are only around 250 immigration judges in the United States, and to add to the crisis around a 100 judges are up for retirement this year.

Since the year 2007 the immigration court backlog rose by almost 160 per cent while the number of immigration judges rose by just 15 per cent. The U S government had said in the month of May that around 68 new judges were to be hired. But this has not happened, leading to a major strain on the entire immigration system.

Burgeoning cases, increased terror stories, meager resources – all this is leading to a faster burnout that is being witnessed amongst judges; this is higher than the instances of prison staff and doctors burning out, according to a study.

“Hearing asylum cases, especially the ones in which the witnesses testify credibly, has affected my view of the world,” a respondent of a survey said, as he talked about tales of homicide, rape, and organized crime heard in court. “I have lost most of my faith in humankind, and I fear deeply for the future.”

A lack of support staff, office space, and technology are also compounding the problems.