Total number of US asylum seekers hit all-time high

(CNN, KYMA/KECY) - The number of asylum seekers in the United States has hit an all-time record.

1.6 million asylum applications are pending in U.S. immigration courts, the largest number ever recorded.

U.S. immigration courts have experienced a seven-fold increase in asylum cases from the fiscal year 2012 when there were just 100,000 cases pending.

Syracuse University's transactional records access clearinghouse has been keeping track of the numbers.

The asylum seekers are from 219 different countries and speak 418 different languages.

The leading countries of origin include Guatemala, Venezuela, Cuba and Brazil.

The average wait time for an asylum hearing is more than four years, but in Omaha's immigration court, the wait time is now almost six years.