During U.S. President Donald Trump’s first year back in office, his administration shifted U.S. immigration courts significantly toward stricter enforcement.
Data from the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), the agency within the U.S. Department of Justice that operates U.S. immigration courts, reveals a sharp decline in asylum grants. The percentage of applications for asylum granted by immigration judges dropped to 8.8 percent through the second quarter of fiscal year 2026—compared with 24.4 percent in fiscal 2025 and 45.7 percent in fiscal 2024.
The number of removal orders issued by the EOIR has surged, increasing by 57 percent from fiscal 2024 to fiscal 2025. Additionally, the number of “voluntary departure” orders has reached a record high.
The backlog in immigration court cases declined during fiscal 2025—the first year in 17 since fiscal 2008 when more asylum cases were completed than initiated—though this reduction is relatively modest due to the massive rise in asylum applications under the Biden administration’s policies.
These trends indicate a decisive shift from previous administrations. The Biden administration granted asylum at a much higher rate and utilized “administrative closure” to effectively delay deportations for inadmissible migrants. A 2024 report by the U.S. House Judiciary Committee states that over 700,000 illegal aliens had their cases dismissed, terminated, or administratively closed, allowing them to remain in the country indefinitely without immigration consequences.
The Trump administration has reversed Biden’s policies on immigration courts and implemented a broader crackdown on mass migration. This approach has led to historically low levels of both legal and illegal migration.
While challenges persist—including record-high numbers of “abandonments” and cases not yet adjudicated, as well as the need for systemic reform in the U.S. asylum system—the EOIR data confirm that the Trump administration has delivered on its pledge to end what it calls the “Era of Amnesty.”
