According to the latest data released by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) at Syracuse University in the United States, as of the end of February 2026, the total number of backlogged immigration cases in the country was 3,318,099, a decrease of nearly 60,000 compared to the end of December 2025. This indicates that the processing of cases has accelerated, showing a continued trend of easing backlog issues. However, in cases that have been concluded, eighty percent have been ruled for deportation.
In the first five months of the 2026 federal fiscal year (October 2025 to February 2026), immigration courts concluded 333,957 cases while adding 201,878 new cases during the same period. The speed of case resolution is approximately 1.65 times the rate of new case additions, reflecting a significant improvement in the court’s processing capacity and a gradual reduction of the massive backlog accumulated over the years.
Of the over 3.31 million pending cases, 2,322,671 cases have formal asylum applications, accounting for approximately 70%. Asylum cases, due to the complexity of evidence review and individual backgrounds, have long been a major reason for prolonged processing times and severe backlog issues.
Regarding the rulings, as of the current fiscal year, immigration judges have issued 262,021 deportation orders, with an overall deportation rate of 79.6%. In just the month of February 2026, the courts completed 67,908 cases, with 46,786 being deportation orders and an additional 8,843 voluntary departures, totaling a deportation rate of 81.9%.
On the other hand, the proportion of cases receiving various forms of relief (including asylum) remains relatively low. In February, only 1,079 cases were granted relief, with 492 approved for asylum, accounting for approximately 45.6%.
In terms of geographical distribution, Miami-Dade County in Florida still has the highest number of cases in the United States, totaling 143,817. It is followed by Cook County in Illinois (112,686 cases), Queens in New York (103,791 cases), Los Angeles County in California (98,792 cases), and Brooklyn in New York (81,611 cases). Miami’s case load has slightly decreased compared to the end of the previous year.
Looking at the nationalities being deported, Mexico continues to lead with 58,301 cases, followed by Guatemala (32,258), Honduras (31,797), Venezuela (27,480), and Colombia (17,031), reflecting that the current wave of immigrants is predominantly from Latin American regions.
The data also indicates that only about 1.83% of new cases in the 2026 fiscal year involve criminal charges other than unlawful entry, continuing the trend that the vast majority of immigration cases are civil in nature and not related to criminal offenses.
From October 2025 to February 2026, immigration judges across the United States held a total of 28,951 bond hearings, with 8,050 cases granted bond, resulting in an approval rate of approximately 27.8%.
Additionally, there are significant differences in rulings across different regions. For example, Alabama has the highest deportation rate, while Vermont has the lowest.
Of note is the slight improvement in the percentage of immigrants having legal representation during deportation rulings. In February 2026, 33.3% had legal representation, a 6.6-percentage point increase from December 2025. However, nearly two-thirds of parties still lack legal representation during critical rulings, indicating ongoing issues of unequal access to judicial resources.
In conclusion, from December 2025 to February 2026, the immigration courts in the United States have shown four major trends: a decrease of approximately 60,000 cases in the backlog, continued faster resolution than new case filings, a slight increase in the representation by lawyers, and a deportation rate maintained at about 80%.
Although the backlog has slightly decreased, with the total still exceeding 3.3 million cases, it remains at a historical high. Analysts point out that even with the current processing speed, fully resolving the backlog will take several more years, and the pressure on the immigration court system is unlikely to be fundamentally alleviated in the short term.