According to the latest data from the Syracuse University’s “Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse” (TRAC) on immigration courts in the United States, as of December 2025, there were a total of 3.38 million pending cases in immigration courts nationwide, with 2.34 million of them being asylum cases, accounting for nearly 70% of the total backlog. In terms of case decisions, the deportation rate stood at nearly 80%.
In December 2025, immigration judges completed a total of 57,531 cases, with 38,215 cases resulting in deportation orders, leading to a deportation rate of close to 80%. Additionally, 7,359 cases were approved for voluntary departure, bringing the total deportation rate to 79.2%. During the same period, 1,455 cases received immigration relief, with 701 cases being granted asylum.
Within the first three months of the 2026 fiscal year, immigration courts received 130,642 new cases while completing 193,858 cases during the same period, indicating that the court closure rate has exceeded the number of new cases. However, the overall backlog issue remains severe. Of the new cases, only 1.64% involved criminal charges.
Looking at the geographical distribution, the top three regions in the United States with the highest number of immigration cases backlog are: Miami-Dade County, Florida with 147,232 pending cases, Cook County, Illinois with 112,299 cases, and Queens, New York City with 105,635 cases.
Regarding legal representation, data shows that in December 2025, only 26.7% of immigrants who were issued deportation orders had legal representation, highlighting that the majority of immigrants lack legal assistance during critical proceedings.
In terms of bond hearings, immigration judges conducted a total of 15,540 bond hearings in the first three months of the 2026 fiscal year, approving 4,062 of them, accounting for 26.1%.
TRAC points out that despite the current improvement in the closure rate of immigration courts, the massive backlog of cases and a large number of asylum applications will continue to pose significant challenges to the immigration justice system.