Putting TRAC to Work
  News Organizations
Los Angeles Times
November 2, 2018

Can Trump Stop Asylum Seekers?
By Molly Hennessy-Fiske


During the first half of this year, about 15% of asylum seekers who went to court had their claims granted, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, a research group at Syracuse University. That was about half the rate during the second half of 2017. The rates also varied widely between immigration courts. In San Francisco, for example, it was 39% over the last three years. In Los Angeles, it was 20%. And in Atlanta, it was 1%. Asylum seekers with attorneys fare much better. Over the last six years, Hondurans with attorneys were granted asylum about 30% of the time. Those without attorneys got asylum 5% of the time. Either way, the process can take a long time due to a backlog of cases. People who succeed in immigration court — including asylum seekers — wait an average of 1,000 days. California and New Jersey had the longest average wait: 1,300 days.


Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, Syracuse University
Copyright 2018
TRAC TRAC at Work TRAC TRAC at Work News Organizations News Organizations