Asylum Cases Comprise Majority of Backlog

Of the 3,318,099 pending cases, 2,322,671 immigrants have filed formal asylum applications and are awaiting hearings or decisions. This means approximately 70% of the backlog consists of asylum seekers who have already initiated the formal application process.

Geographic Distribution

Miami-Dade County, Florida continues to have the most pending deportation cases at 143,817, followed by Cook County, Illinois with 112,686, Queens County, New York with 103,791, Los Angeles County, California with 98,792, and Kings County, New York with 81,611. Miami-Dade's caseload has decreased slightly from 147,232 in December 2025.

Case Outcomes and Deportation Rates

Through February 2026, immigration judges have ordered deportation in 79.6% of completed cases, totaling 262,021 deportation orders. In February 2026 alone, judges completed 67,908 deportation cases, issuing 46,786 removal orders and 8,843 voluntary departure orders, for a combined deportation rate of 81.9%.

Relief was granted in a small fraction of cases. Of the 1,079 cases where relief was granted in February 2026, asylum accounted for 492 grants, or 45.6%.

Legal Representation

Only 33.3% of immigrants had attorney representation when removal orders were issued in February 2026, an increase from the 26.7% representation rate in December 2025. This 6.6 percentage point increase suggests modest improvement in access to legal counsel.

Nationality Breakdown

Mexican nationals continue to represent the largest group receiving deportation orders, with 58,301 orders through February 2026, followed by Guatemala with 32,258, Honduras with 31,797, Venezuela with 27,480, and Colombia with 17,031.

Criminal Allegations Remain Low

Only 1.83% of new cases in fiscal year 2026 involve allegations of criminal activity beyond possible illegal entry, consistent with historical patterns showing that the vast majority of immigration proceedings involve no violations or civil violations rather than criminal conduct.

Bond Hearings

Immigration judges have conducted 28,951 bond hearings through February 2026, granting bond in 8,050 cases, representing a bond grant rate of approximately 27.8%.

Regional Variations

Among cases completed in February 2026, immigrants in Alabama had the highest proportion ordered removed, while Vermont residents had the lowest proportion ordered removed, indicating significant geographic variation in case outcomes.

Key trends from December to February:

• Backlog decreased by approximately 60,000 cases
• Case completion rate remains significantly higher than new case intake
• Legal representation rates improved modestly
• Deportation rates remained relatively stable around 80%

For additional information see TRAC's Quick Facts. For a complete list of available immigration tools go here.