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El Salvador

Central America · Rank #4 by court cases · Code: SV

El Salvador has a long history of migration to the U.S., driven initially by civil war in the 1980s and later by gang violence. The country has one of the largest TPS populations. Recent gang crackdowns under President Bukele have shifted dynamics.

1.4M

Total Immigrants

3% of foreign-born

773,165

Court Cases

Rank #4

245,000

Removal Orders

18.4%

Asylum Grant Rate

61,000 applied

5 yrs

Green Card Wait

DV lottery eligible

Key Facts

•Large TPS-protected population (~250K)

•Civil war drove initial migration wave

•Gang violence historically major push factor

•Bukele crackdown may reduce asylum claims

Detailed Immigration Statistics

Total Immigrants in U.S.	1,400,000
Share of Foreign-Born Population	3%
Immigration Court Cases	773,165
Removal Orders Issued	245,000
Asylum Applications	61,000
Asylum Grant Rate	18.4%
Deportations	165,000
Visa Issuances (2023)	28,300
Green Card Wait Time	5 years
Diversity Visa Lottery Eligible	✅ Yes

Top Visa Types

Tourist (B1/B2)Family-BasedTPSH-2A Agricultural

Immigration Pipeline

How El Salvador nationals move through the U.S. immigration system:

28,300

Visas Issued (2023)

→

773,165

Court Cases (Total)

→

11,224

Asylum Granted

→

165,000

Deportations

Data Sources

DHS Yearbook of Immigration Statistics, DOJ EOIR, CBP, DOS Visa Statistics. Last updated: March 2026. Court case data from DOJ EOIR. Visa issuance data from Department of State. Immigrant population estimates from Census Bureau American Community Survey and Migration Policy Institute.