Immigration Court Backlog
As of 2026-02-01, 1,907,436 cases are pending before U.S. immigration courts. A total of 9,665,247 cases have been filed, with 7,757,811 completed.
1.9M
Total Pending Cases
7.8M
Cases Completed
2,162,444
In Absentia Orders
Cases Filed vs Completed Over Time
When filed cases exceed completed cases, the backlog grows. This chart shows the annual gap.
Year-by-Year Filing Trends (2010–2025)
| Year | Filed | Completed | Net Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 28,144 | 293,778 | -265,634 |
| 2011 | 31,358 | 311,691 | -280,333 |
| 2012 | 43,772 | 290,352 | -246,580 |
| 2013 | 60,870 | 280,651 | -219,781 |
| 2014 | 82,006 | 301,380 | -219,374 |
| 2015 | 97,549 | 288,276 | -190,727 |
| 2016 | 117,380 | 321,108 | -203,728 |
| 2017 | 140,945 | 321,105 | -180,160 |
| 2018 | 167,248 | 366,271 | -199,023 |
| 2019 | 208,814 | 487,594 | -278,780 |
| 2020 | 148,010 | 247,402 | -99,392 |
| 2021 | 142,311 | 298,400 | -156,089 |
| 2022 | 286,589 | 674,953 | -388,364 |
| 2023 | 424,994 | 965,176 | -540,182 |
| 2024 | 508,217 | 1,290,672 | -782,455 |
| 2025 | 421,619 | 1,298,639 | -877,020 |
Busiest Immigration Courts
#1
Miami, FL
682,877
total cases · 10.1% grant rate
#2
New York, NY
634,768
total cases · 21% grant rate
#3
Los Angeles, CA
467,204
total cases · 12.3% grant rate
#4
Chicago, IL
363,725
total cases · 8.1% grant rate
#5
San Francisco, CA
359,734
total cases · 20.5% grant rate
#6
Dallas, TX
350,413
total cases · 3.5% grant rate
#7
Orlando, FL
334,095
total cases · 6.1% grant rate
#8
San Antonio, TX
286,310
total cases · 2.3% grant rate
#9
Newark, NJ
279,222
total cases · 7.6% grant rate
#10
Atlanta, GA
247,620
total cases · 2.1% grant rate
💡
Key Context
- → 9,665,247 total cases have been filed since records began
- → 2,162,444 people received in absentia removal orders (didn't appear)
- → 1,409 judges across 88 courts handle the entire caseload
- → Only 26.7% of those ordered deported had legal representation