The rate at which asylum seekers receive protection in the United States has dropped to its lowest level in more than a decade, according to new immigration court data, reflecting the impact of stricter enforcement policies under President Donald Trump.
Figures from the US Department of Justice’s immigration court system show that judges decided more than 150,500 asylum cases during the first half of fiscal year 2026.
Only 5,086 applications were approved, reducing the overall asylum grant rate to 3.4% of all completed case outcomes.
When considering only direct approvals and denials, the approval rate stood at 8.8%, marking a significant decline from recent years.
Asylum approvals fall sharply
The latest figures represent a dramatic shift in the US asylum system.
According to official data, asylum approval rates have steadily declined over the past several years:
- 2026: 8.8% (approvals versus denials)
- 2025: 24.4%
- 2024: 45.7%
- 2023: 48.1%
The decline illustrates a major tightening of asylum decisions as immigration authorities continue implementing tougher enforcement measures.
Stricter rules reshape immigration courts
Immigration advocates say several policy changes have made it increasingly difficult for applicants to obtain protection.
They point to stricter legal interpretations, tighter procedural requirements, and broader immigration enforcement priorities that have narrowed the path to asylum.
Claims based on gang violence and domestic violence, which previously received greater consideration in some cases, have become significantly harder to establish. Immigration judges have also been given greater authority to dismiss incomplete or deficient asylum applications more quickly.
Many of the cases currently reaching final decisions involve migrants who entered the United States during former President Joe Biden’s administration and have only recently progressed through the immigration court backlog.
Removal orders dominate court outcomes
An analysis by Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) found that removal orders accounted for roughly 80% of completed immigration court cases during fiscal year 2026.
The research group also reported that more than 59,000 asylum applications were denied over a 12-month period, while successful claims fell to a small fraction of levels recorded in previous years.
The findings suggest that deportation has become the most common outcome for migrants appearing before immigration courts.
Deportation campaign continues
The decline in asylum approvals comes alongside the Trump administration’s broader immigration enforcement campaign.
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), more than 605,000 removals and deportations have been carried out since January 2025. Immigration monitoring organizations believe the actual number may be higher.
For asylum seekers from Pakistan and other countries, the latest figures indicate that obtaining protection in the United States has become considerably more difficult as immigration authorities continue to tighten enforcement and accelerate deportation proceedings.
