| Asylum Denials Rise to 94% Amid the Remaking of the Immigration Court | ||
| (31 Aug 2026)
The number of individuals Immigration Judges grant asylum to each month has been falling. In June
2026, only 771 individuals were granted asylum—less than a quarter of the number of individuals
awarded asylum just three years ago. At the same time, the number of asylum decisions has grown
resulting in soaring asylum denial rates. In June 2026, 94 percent of all asylum cases were denied.
These results are detailed in TRAC’s latest edition of its judge-by-judge report series on asylum decisions. Each report includes a comparison of the judge’s asylum denial rate to the Immigration Judges in that judge’s court as well as judges across the country and shows how the judge’s denial rates varied year-by-year. The series has just been released and is available here. One factor affecting asylum outcomes has been the radical transformation of the Immigration Court bench, driven by the Trump administration’s use of its firing and appointment powers. Indeed, EOIR records indicate that a total of 279 Immigration Judges were fired or resigned during FY 2025 – FY 2026. This represented approximately 38 percent of the 735 Immigration Judges who were employed at the end of FY 2024 – the last full year of the Biden administration. In addition, judges serving before President Trump assumed office began turning down an increasing proportion of asylum applications. For example, only 130 judges remained on the bench and actively handed down asylum decisions throughout the FY 2021 – FY 2026 period. Three-fourths of these judges increased the proportion of asylum cases they denied during FY 2026 as compared with their individual denial rates in FY 2021. This increase averaged 33 percentage points. The median increase in the denial rate was 28 percentage points. With these trends, overall asylum grant rates have been steadily dropping and reached an all-time low in 2026. Asylum grant rates began a steady fall four years ago under the Biden administration. At the end of his presidency, the grant rate had fallen to 32 percent – down from over 50 percent earlier in President Biden’s term. This decline continued under President Trump. In June 2026 the asylum grant rate had fallen to 5.5 percent while the denial rate had risen to 94.1 percent. The remaining 0.4 percent were denied asylum but granted another type of relief. More cases are now being decided as well. With the recent hiring of several hundred new Immigration Judges, asylum case dispositions have increased to record levels. Read the full report for additional details.
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