WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is sitting on a backlog of 7.5 million legal immigration applications, according to the latest agency data, a logjam that affects people seeking citizenship, green cards and work permits both inside the United States and abroad.
The number of pending requests jumped sharply in the first three months of President Trump's second term. The increase reflects a deliberate strategy to slow legal migration into the country.
A primary driver is a reported work slowdown inside the administration's immigration offices, which process petitions and applications. Reduced operational speed has created a bottleneck for legal entry and status adjustments.
The administration has also canceled programs that previously conferred legal status outside the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services system, including several humanitarian pathways. Their elimination pushes more applicants into traditional channels that are already overwhelmed or leaves them without any route to legal status.
Elizabeth Jacobs, a director who analyzes immigration policy, said the decision to cut those alternative programs directly feeds the growing pile of pending requests, forcing applicants into a system that cannot keep pace.
The expanding backlog places millions at greater risk of deportation. As applications sit unresolved, temporary protections expire, leaving applicants vulnerable to enforcement by federal agencies.
Delays in processing also expand the pool of potential arrest targets for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The longer applications go unanswered, the more people fall into legal limbo.
Data from the first year of Trump's second administration shows fewer petitions being approved. That drop in approvals, combined with slower processing, accounts for a backlog that has grown well beyond normal levels.
By slowing processing and eliminating alternative pathways, the administration has direct control over who can legally enter or remain in the country — and the consequences fall squarely on millions waiting for decisions on their status.
