The Deportation Machine
In 2025, U.S. immigration courts completed 1,298,639 cases — an all-time record. Here's how the system processes cases at industrial scale, and what happens to the people inside it.
Five Ways Out of Immigration Court
There's a common misconception that immigration court has two outcomes: you stay or you get deported. The reality is more nuanced — and more revealing:
Full Outcome Breakdown
Here's every significant case outcome in the system:
| Outcome | Count | % of Completed |
|---|---|---|
| Relief Granted | 896,454 | 7.0% |
| Transfer | 874,204 | 6.8% |
| Voluntary Departure | 814,501 | 6.3% |
| Dismissed by IJ | 647,910 | 5.0% |
| Deport | 628,798 | 4.9% |
| Administrative Closing - Other | 194,743 | 1.5% |
| Exclude | 153,158 | 1.2% |
| Vacate - DHS Decision and Credible Fear | 47,788 | 0.4% |
| Other Administrative Completion | 41,792 | 0.3% |
| Deny | 29,457 | 0.2% |
| Withdraw | 10,588 | 0.1% |
| Grant | 9,719 | 0.1% |
| DHS Decision and Reasonable Fear | 7,084 | 0.1% |
| Remove-INA Withholding Granted | 6,781 | 0.1% |
| Lifted Detained Status | 3,682 | 0.0% |
| Remove-CAT Withholding Granted | 3,599 | 0.0% |
| Remove-CAT Deferral Granted | 1,722 | 0.0% |
| Withdrawn | 1,657 | 0.0% |
| Rescind | 1,074 | 0.0% |
Case Types: Not Just Asylum
Public discourse focuses on asylum, but the immigration court system handles many case types:
| Case Type | Count | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Removal (RMV) | 8,275,052 | 85.6% |
| Deportation (DEP) | 901,917 | 9.3% |
| Exclusion (EXC) | 175,454 | 1.8% |
| Credible Fear Review (CFR) | 164,139 | 1.7% |
| DD Appeal (DDC) | 69,568 | 0.7% |
| Withholding Only (WHO) | 31,996 | 0.3% |
| Reasonable Fear Case (RFR) | 27,709 | 0.3% |
| Asylum Only Case (AOC) | 15,797 | 0.2% |
| Rescission (REC) | 2,066 | 0.0% |
| Claimed Status Review (CSR) | 1,195 | 0.0% |
| NACARA Adjustment (NAC) | 307 | 0.0% |
85.6% are "Removal" cases — the modern catch-all for immigration court proceedings. "Deportation" cases (pre-1996 law) account for 9.3%, reflecting older proceedings. Credible Fear Reviews (1.7%), the screening process for asylum seekers apprehended at the border, have surged in recent years.
The 2024-2025 Acceleration
Something dramatic happened in 2024: case completions nearly doubled from the previous peak. The system went from completing 965,176 cases in 2023 to 1,290,672 in 2024 — a 34% increase in a single year. In 2025, it stayed at 1,298,639.
| Year | Filed | Completed | Net | Grants | Grant % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 97,549 | 288,276 | -190,727 | 17,532 | 6.1% |
| 2016 | 117,380 | 321,108 | -203,728 | 20,894 | 6.5% |
| 2017 | 140,945 | 321,105 | -180,160 | 22,238 | 6.9% |
| 2018 | 167,248 | 366,271 | -199,023 | 29,000 | 7.9% |
| 2019 | 208,814 | 487,594 | -278,780 | 36,801 | 7.5% |
| 2020 | 148,010 | 247,402 | -99,392 | 18,890 | 7.6% |
| 2021 | 142,311 | 298,400 | -156,089 | 24,739 | 8.3% |
| 2022 | 286,589 | 674,953 | -388,364 | 44,084 | 6.5% |
| 2023 | 424,994 | 965,176 | -540,182 | 51,981 | 5.4% |
| 2024 | 508,217 | 1,290,672 | -782,455 | 48,485 | 3.8% |
| 2025 | 421,619 | 1,298,639 | -877,020 | 37,341 | 2.9% |
Notice the grant rate: it dropped from 5.4% in 2023 to 3.8% in 2024 to 2.9% in 2025 — even as completions surged. This strongly suggests the system isn't completing more cases by hearing more of them fairly; it's completing them by issuing more in absentia orders, voluntary departures, and expedited removals.
Voluntary Departure: The "Soft" Option
814,501 cases ended in voluntary departure — a deal where the respondent agrees to leave by a specific date. It sounds like a lighter outcome, and in some ways it is: no formal removal order, no reentry bar, no criminal consequences.
But it's often less voluntary than the name suggests. Many respondents accept VD because:
- They're detained and want to get out of jail faster
- They can't afford a lawyer to fight their case
- The judge or ICE attorney pressures them to accept
- They don't understand their rights or options
The Real Number
Add it up: 628,798 removal orders + 814,501 voluntary departures + 2,162,444 in absentia orders = 3,605,743 people ordered out of the country through the immigration court system alone. That's not counting ICE enforcement actions, expedited removal at the border, or stipulated orders — just the court system.
📊 Deportation Data
Explore removal orders and outcomes in detail.
🚪 In Absentia Orders
2.1 million ordered removed without showing up.
📈 Backlog Crisis
How 1.9 million cases piled up.