The approval rate for asylum applications in the United States has fallen to its lowest level in more than a decade, reflecting stricter immigration policies under President Donald Trump.
According to data from the US Department of Justice’s immigration court system, judges decided more than 150,500 asylum cases during the first half of fiscal year 2026, but approved only 5,086 applications.
The figures show an overall asylum grant rate of just 3.4%. When considering only direct approvals and denials, the approval rate stood at 8.8%, a sharp decline from 24.4% in 2025, 45.7% in 2024, and 48.1% in 2023.
Immigration advocates say the drop is linked to stricter legal standards, tighter court procedures, and broader enforcement measures that have made it increasingly difficult for applicants to qualify for protection. Claims involving gang violence and domestic abuse have become harder to prove, while immigration judges now have greater authority to dismiss incomplete applications.
Many of the cases decided this year involve migrants who entered the United States during former President Joe Biden’s administration and have only recently reached the courts due to longstanding case backlogs.
A report by Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) found that removal orders accounted for about 80% of completed immigration court cases in fiscal 2026. The organization also reported more than 59,000 asylum denials over the past year.
The declining approval rate comes alongside an expanded deportation campaign, with the Department of Homeland Security reporting more than 605,000 removals and deportations since January 2025.
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