Rising immigration-related caseload is ‘not sustainable,’ federal judges say
In the past six months, the number of habeas corpus petitions filed by detained immigrants in federal courts increased by a whopping 1,480%, according to an investigation by Law.com. (Illustration by Sam Ward)
In the past six months, the number of habeas corpus petitions filed by detained immigrants in federal courts increased by a whopping 1,480%, according to an investigation by Law.com.
The increase in habeas corpus petitions—which totaled 15,694 between Aug. 5, 2025, and Feb. 4, 2026—is largely due to immigrants’ claims that they are being improperly detained by the Trump administration, Law.com reports.
As part of its sweeping immigration crackdown, the administration implemented a mandatory detention policy that keeps immigrants who are arrested during enforcement operations detained without bond.
Federal courts are struggling to handle the influx of immigration cases, and in some jurisdictions, they are taking precedent over other civil matters, according to Law.com.
“It’s all hands on deck,” Chief U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley of the Eastern District of California told Law.com. “Every single active judge in this court is dealing with these immigration cases.”
In the past six months, immigrant detainees filed 1,267 habeas corpus petitions in the Eastern District of California, an increase of 3,419% over the previous six-month period, Law.com reports.
In the Western District of New York, 347 habeas corpus petitions were filed in the past six months, which represents a 1,019% increase over the previous six months, Law.com also reports.
“We are already a congested court with some of the busiest dockets in the country, and this influx of immigration habeas cases is unprecedented,” Chief U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford of the Western District of New York told Law.com. “By and large, the cases require immediate attention, and so we are handling them by setting aside work on other cases when we can do so.”
“But it is not sustainable for anyone involved,” Wolford also said.
Another court, the Southern District of Texas, had a 2,088% increase in habeas corpus petitions, with more cases filed last month than in all of 2025, Law.com reports.
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