Appointment backlog forces people to wait in line for days at Orlando immigration office

ORLANDO, Fla. — People in search of appointments with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Orlando have been waiting in line for days now, and some have been coming back to this spot for more than a month.

For weeks, people trying to get their immigration papers and documentation in order have shown up to their appointments day after day, just to be turned away.

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Some of those people tell Channel 9 that they cannot leave because their life and future depend on it.

Channel 9 spoke with immigration attorney Henry Lim, who said he remembers the lines he had to wait in as an immigrant himself.

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Lim said that ICE handles enforcement and is requiring everyone in line to check in, by law, in order to monitor and check their compliance.

“Very scary situation where they’re holding a paper saying you’re facing deportation. You could forfeit your bond and you’re talking about people who have put their life savings in order to be bonded out,” Lim added.

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One person Channel 9 spoke with, who was walking out of his appointment that was scheduled for last week, said there were just five to eight people working inside the office for the hundreds waiting outside.

U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement told Channel 9 in a statement that it is working to address the delays at the Orlando office.

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