Migrants hoping to seek U.S. asylum face years-long legal limbo in overwhelmed system
CBSN
New York — Beberlyn and her family boarded the subway to downtown Manhattan before 4 a.m. in mid-October. Their appointment with federal immigration officials wasn't until 9 o'clock, but she wanted to make sure her family would be seen.
When the family arrived at 4:40, dozens of migrants were already waiting outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office at Federal Plaza. By 8 o'clock, lines with hundreds of migrants had formed. It's a scene that repeats itself on every weekday in New York City, one of the top destinations for the hundreds of thousands of migrants released from federal U.S. border custody over the past year.
Beberlyn, 33, is a Venezuelan migrant who crossed the U.S. southern border unlawfully with her husband, 15-year-old nephew, 12-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter in late August. She was hoping ICE would give them an immigration court date so they could start the process of applying for asylum and work permits.
