As of April 2024, the backlog of immigration cases soared past 3.5 million, with asylum matters comprising 1.3 million of these cases. Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), reports that only 14% of immigrants facing deportation had legal representation. This marks a substantial increase from the previous fiscal year, where the backlog stood at 2.8 million cases.

Notably, asylum cases which previously made up less than 10% of the total backlog, now constitute 37% of it. Fiscal year 2024 saw an additional 1.3 million new cases added to the already burdened court dockets. During this period, immigration judges managed to complete approximately 500,000 cases. Of those completed cases, 35% resulted in voluntary departure or removal orders. Looking ahead, immigration judges are on course to surpass previous years’ case completions by year-end.

Miami-Dade County has the highest number of pending deportation cases, while Colorado leads in the proportion of removal orders issued. Conversely, Vermont had the lowest number of cases concluded in April, according to TRAC data.

The Biden administration’s recent proposed rule, which aims to expedite asylum determinations earlier in the process, could potentially impact future immigration backlog figures. However, it’s essential to note that this rule is still in the proposal stage and undergoing public feedback. Initial assessments suggest that while the rule may streamline asylum proceedings, it will have little impact on overall immigration court caseloads.

As always, we continue to actively monitor ongoing U.S. immigration trends. If you have questions about any employment-based or family-based immigration issue, contact us. We work with our clients every step of the way.