New York, California approving over 60% of migrant asylum cases — three times more than Texas, Florida

From January to August, New York and California immigration courts approved over 60% of migrant asylum cases, according to data obtained by Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse.

Migrants who filed asylum cases in Republican-led Texas and Florida were three times less likely to have their cases approved. TRAC data found that Texas immigration courts approved 19% of cases, Florida 23%, New York 61%, and California 66%.

Texas denied 5,604 asylum case adjudications and approved 1,309 from January to August. During that same period, California denied 4,353 and approved 8,664.

New York and California remain the top two destinations for the millions of migrants flooding the southern border and entering the country. The two blue states oversee the majority of asylum cases in the nation.

Previous TRAC data revealed that the approval rate for asylum cases averaged 49% under the Obama administration from 2013 to 2017. That rate dropped to 32% under former President Donald Trump and rose to an average of 40% during the first few months of Joe Biden’s presidency.

Asylum cases rejected by one court are eligible for appeal and may be transferred to a different court.

Michael Wildes, with the law firm Wildes & Weinberg P.C., told the New York Post that immigration courts are understaffed.

“It’s the Wild West,” Wildes said. “They keep putting people into Manhattan hotels and similar facilities around the nation. It’s compounding and turning into one of the biggest traffic jams I’ve ever seen.”

Approximately 160,000 migrants have arrived in New York City since spring 2022, the Post reported.

New York City Democratic Mayor Eric Adams has repeatedly stated that the city’s shelter system is at capacity and that the immigration crisis is unsustainable.

Last month, Adams reported that there are roughly 64,000 migrants currently using the city’s services. City officials stated that only 2,100 migrants have applied for work authorizations.

New York Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul believes the migrant crisis will cost the state $2 billion.

City officials in San Diego, California, have also reported that their shelter systems are at capacity. Just last month, the city released 13,000 asylum-seeking migrants onto the streets after running out of shelter space.

Customs and Border Protection reported that in fiscal year 2023, which ended in September, more than 900,000 migrants were allowed into the country and eligible to apply for asylum.

Migrants entering the country are supposed to be provided with a notice to appear in court. Immigration courts are currently so overwhelmed that many migrants are receiving court dates five years out, the Post reported.

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