During the March through June 2026 period removal orders also accounted for a larger proportion of all case closures, rising from 70% to 78%. In June, less than two percent (1.9%) of individuals in cases that closed were granted relief. Over two-thirds (68%) of individuals were not present at the court hearing where they were ordered removed.

Among the states with the five largest Immigration Courts, two states – Texas and Illinois – had above average growth in removal orders during March through June 2026, while Florida, New York, and California courts experienced below average increases.

Immigrants in the Immigration Court in Illinois (Chicago) experienced a 120 percent jump in the number of removals ordered – four times the national increase. Individuals in courts based in five additional states experienced at least twice the national jump in removals ordered. These involved the courts in Massachusetts (up 79%), New Jersey (up 66%), Pennsylvania (up 66%), Texas (up 66%) and Colorado (up 60%).

At the other extreme, courts based in six states experienced a drop in the number of immigrants ordered removed between March and June 2026. Fewer individuals were ordered removed in courts based in Virginia (down 5%), Arizona (down 12%), Georgia (down 15%), California (down 22%), Washington (down 35%) and Hawaii (down 45%) .

There were also large differences in removal trends across nationalities. Among immigrants from countries with the highest number of cases, Haitians experienced a 96 percent increase in removal orders between March and June 2026, while immigrants from Cuba saw just a 5 percent rise — well below the national average.

The last year also saw an increase in the number of new proceedings filed in Immigration Court by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Compared to June 2025, new cases have grown from 31,000 to 52,000 in June 2026. While closures are now consistently outpacing new cases, the Immigration Court’s case backlog remains stubbornly high with 3.2 million immigrants waiting for their cases to be decided.

See full report for further details. To dig further into these outcome trends by where the immigrant resided, hearing attendance, representation, custody, nationality, language, age, and gender, use TRAC's online tool, Outcomes of Immigration Court Proceedings.