Asylum approval rates in the U.S. plummeted in the lead-up to Donald Trump's second administration. This comes as the president-elect has vowed to crack down on the immigration crisis.
In October, when the new fiscal year 2025 begins, just over a third (36%) of asylum applications were approved by US immigration judges. Linked with data from Syracuse University's TRAC Immigration Database.
This represents a sharp decline from the early days of the Biden administration, when the refugee recognition rate exceeded 50% in fiscal year 2023, according to the data. This was first reported by Axiosindicates. The approval rating peaked at 52.6% in September 2023.
The subdued October approval rating was the lowest since May 2021, when immigration slumped due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to an Axios poll.
Meanwhile, support for Latino asylum seekers was at its lowest in fiscal year 2024, which ended Sept. 30, according to TRAC data. This trend is likely to continue declining as President Trump follows through on his promises to fix the southern border and curb illegal immigration. US.
During the year, less than 20% of asylum applications from Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador and Brazil were approved by immigration judges, the data showed.
Hondurans were the largest group processed by immigration courts in fiscal year 2024, with 6,201 cases but an approval rate of only 29.1%.
Venezuela and Cuba were among the outliers in Latin America, posting approval ratings of 64.5% and 51.6%, respectively, reflecting the U.S. tradition of granting asylum to people fleeing socialist regimes. are.
Immigrants from Venezuela will also be granted Temporary Protected Status, a program that allows asylum seekers from designated countries to temporarily live and work in the United States without fear of deportation.
Russians represent the largest number of asylum seekers outside of Latin America, with authorities granting asylum to 3,754 migrants in 2024, an acceptance rate of 85.2%. Chinese asylum seekers had similar success, with 3,159 granted asylum.
Trump, who will be integrated as the next US president in six weeks, has vowed to crack down on the immigration crisis and claims his administration will enact a mass deportation plan.
This comes as multiple caravans of thousands of migrants are traveling through Central America and Mexico in an attempt to reach the United States before Trump's inauguration.
