By New York Post (U.S.) | Created at 2024-12-11 20:08:35 | Updated at 2024-12-22 12:09:55
1 week ago
Approval rates for asylum applications in the US have dropped dramatically in the run-up to Donald Trump’s second administration — as the President-elect has vowed to crack down on the migrant crisis.
Just over a third (36%) of asylum petitions were approved by US immigration judges in October, the beginning of the new 2025 fiscal year, according to data from Syracuse University’s TRAC immigration database.
That represents a sharp decrease from earlier in the Biden administration, when asylum grant rates topped 50% in FY2023, the data, which was first reported by Axios, shows. Approval rates peaked at 52.6% in September 2023.
The subdued October approval rate was the lowest since May 2021, when immigration had taken a dip during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an Axios review.
Meanwhile, Latino asylum seekers saw the lowest approval rates in FY2024, which ended on Sept. 30, according to the TRAC data — a trend that will likely continue to drop as Trump ran on a promise to fix the southern border and curb illegal immigration into the US.
Less than 20% of asylum petitions from Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador and Brazil were approved by immigration judges over the fiscal year, the data shows.
Hondurans made up the largest group being processed in immigration courts over FY2024, with 6,201 cases — but they only saw a 29.1% approval rate.
Venezuela and Cuba were among the Latin American outliers, enjoying 64.5% and 51.6% approval rates, respectively, reflecting a tradition of the US granting asylums to those fleeing socialist regimes.
Migrants from Venezuela are also granted Temporary Protected Status, which is a program that allows asylum seekers from designated countries to temporarily live and work in the US without fear of deportation.
Russians represented the largest batch of asylum seekers outside Latin America, with officials granting 3,754 migrants asylum in 2024, an 85.2% acceptance rate. Chinese asylum seekers saw similar success, with 3,159 granted asylum.
Trump, who will be integrated as the next President of the United States in six weeks, has vowed to crack down on the migrant crisis and claims his administration will enact a mass deportation plan.
It comes as multiple caravans made up of thousands of migrants are traveling through Central America and Mexico to try and reach the US before Trump’s inauguration.
