Demographics of Immigration Court
Who appears in U.S. immigration courts? Gender, language, and custody data from 9,665,247 cases paint a detailed picture.
59.2%
Male
3,078,745
40.8%
Female
2,118,389
92.0%
Non-English Speakers
50+
Languages in Court
Gender Distribution
Top 15 Languages
Custody Status
All Languages (44)
Spanish dominates (7,152,953 cases), but the system handles proceedings in over 50 languages — from Mandarin to Mam, Punjabi to Pulaar.
| # | Language | Cases | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spanish | 7,152,953 | 76.6% |
| 2 | English | 744,685 | 8.0% |
| 3 | Creole | 248,185 | 2.7% |
| 4 | Mandarin | 178,698 | 1.9% |
| 5 | Portuguese | 174,068 | 1.9% |
| 6 | Russian | 116,134 | 1.2% |
| 7 | Punjabi | 88,735 | 1.0% |
| 8 | Arabic | 60,636 | 0.6% |
| 9 | French | 43,355 | 0.5% |
| 10 | Foo Chow | 42,444 | 0.5% |
| 11 | Hindi | 39,244 | 0.4% |
| 12 | Turkish | 32,538 | 0.3% |
| 13 | Armenian | 27,085 | 0.3% |
| 14 | Bengali | 25,615 | 0.3% |
| 15 | Wolof | 22,083 | 0.2% |
| 16 | Albanian | 21,864 | 0.2% |
| 17 | Mam | 19,252 | 0.2% |
| 18 | Gujarati | 18,226 | 0.2% |
| 19 | Urdu | 17,642 | 0.2% |
| 20 | Vietnamese | 17,043 | 0.2% |
| 21 | Somali | 16,087 | 0.2% |
| 22 | Uzbek | 15,918 | 0.2% |
| 23 | Georgian - Soviet Republic | 14,806 | 0.2% |
| 24 | Romanian-Moldovan | 14,430 | 0.2% |
| 25 | Quiche | 14,235 | 0.2% |
| 26 | Polish | 13,074 | 0.1% |
| 27 | Nepali | 12,957 | 0.1% |
| 28 | Indonesian | 12,357 | 0.1% |
| 29 | Konjobal | 11,972 | 0.1% |
| 30 | Korean | 11,699 | 0.1% |
Custody Status
6.4M
Never Detained
Live in the community while case proceeds. Wait years for hearings.
2.1M
Detained
Held in ICE facilities. Cases fast-tracked. Worse access to lawyers.
1.1M
Released
Initially detained, then released on bond, parole, or court order.
💡
Key Findings
- → Men outnumber women ~60/40 in immigration court, reflecting border apprehension patterns
- → 92.0% don't speak English — they need interpreters for every proceeding
- → Indigenous Mayan languages (Mam, K'iche', Konjobal) account for 45,000+ cases with severe interpreter shortages
- → 67% of respondents are never detained — they make up the bulk of the backlog