Migrant backlog to hit 8 million under Biden by October, data reveal

More than 8 million asylum seekers and other migrants will be living inside the U.S in legal limbo by the end of September — a roughly 167% increase in five years, according to internal government projections obtained by Axios.

Why it matters: That's up from about 3 million in 2019 — a sign of how the underfunded and outdated U.S. immigration system can't keep up with the rapidly growing migrant population driven by new border surges.

The backlog has left millions of people living in uncertainty about whether they'll be allowed to stay in the U.S. — or facing deportation — often for years.

The data show that while the backlog has exploded as President Biden has struggled to deal with the unprecedented crush of migrants from around the world, millions already were in the U.S. during the Trump administration.