Only 771 people were granted asylum in June, according to TRAC. Separate data from the organization shows that several judges in the Charlotte Immigration Court They have recorded denial rates exceeding 95% in the cumulative fiscal years 2021 to 2026.
Asylum denials in US immigration courts reached 94.1% in June 2026, the highest level on record, according to a new analysis by Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC).
That monthOnly 5.5% of the cases decided resulted in the granting of asylum. Another 0.4% were denied asylum but ended up being granted some other type of immigration relief.
At the same time, the number of resolved cases increased. Immigration judges made more than 14,000 decisions on asylum applications during June.
The data reflect a national trend and correspond specifically to the decisions made during that month.
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What does the data from the Charlotte Immigration Court show?
TRAC also has information on the decisions of the judges of the Charlotte Immigration Court.
However, this data corresponds to a different period and, therefore, should not be directly compared with the national rate for June.
Charlotte's reports They compile the decisions on the fund made during fiscal years 2021 to 2026, with 2026 information available until June.
During that cumulative period, the asylum denial rate at the Charlotte Immigration Court was 86.7%, according to TRAC.
In other words:
- 94.1%: national refusal rate as of June 2026 only.
- 86.7%: cumulative rate of the Charlotte Immigration Court during fiscal years 2021 to 2026, through June.
Because they cover different periods, these figures allow us to understand two aspects: the first shows the sharp recent increase in denials across the country; the second offers a nearly six-year look at asylum decisions in Charlotte.
Related: Charlotte Immigration Court denies 90% of asylum cases
Some judges in Charlotte have a denial rate exceeding 95%.
TRAC's individual reports also show considerable differences among the judges who have decided asylum applications in Charlotte.
For example, during the cumulative period from fiscal years 2021 to 2026, Charles N. Purnell recorded a denial rate of 97.8% in 268 decisions on the merits.
David White recorded 97.4% in 304 cases; Nicholas A. Martz, 97.2% in 457; Robert M. Lewandowski, 96.4% in 361; and Stephen R. Stewart, 95% in 403.
The figures do not mean that those judges are currently denying that percentage of applications. They are cumulative rates calculated from the cases each judge decided during the period studied by TRAC.
Furthermore, the fees vary considerably from one judge to another.
Scott D. Criss, for example, decided 560 asylum applications on their merits during the period under review. He granted asylum in 55 cases, granted other relief in 83, and denied 422, representing a denial rate of 75.4%.
TRAC warns that these differences cannot be attributed solely to the individual judgment of a judge.
The types of cases it receives, the nationality of the applicants, whether they are detained, whether they have legal representation, and the current immigration policies These are some of the factors that can also affect the results.
Asylum grants have been declining for years.
Nationally, the decline in asylum grants did not begin with President Donald Trump's second term.
TRAC notes that the rate began to decline steadily four years ago, during the administration of former President Joe Biden.
By the end of Biden's presidency, the grant rate had fallen to 32%, after having previously exceeded 50% during his administration.
The trend continued with Trump and accelerated.
By June 2026, the national grant rate had fallen to 5.5%, while denials reached 94.1%.
This means that approximately 94 out of every 100 asylum decisions issued by immigration judges during that month ended in a denial.
Change the body of immigration judges
The increase in denials also comes amid a deep transformation of the immigration judges' body.
According to records from the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) analyzed by TRAC, 279 judges were fired or resigned during fiscal years 2025 and 2026.
The figure is roughly equivalent to 38% of the 735 judges who were employed at the end of fiscal year 2024, the last full fiscal year of the Biden administration.
In contrast, during Biden's four fiscal years—2021 to 2024—an annual average of approximately 5% of judges resigned or left their positions.
During 2026, Trump hired 192 new judges and another 53 temporary judges joined the system.
In total, 743 judges decided asylum cases during fiscal year 2026. Of those, only 322 —43%— were already serving before Trump returned to the White House.
It's not just the new judges
Changes in the composition of the courts do not, by themselves, explain the increase in denials.
TRAC examined 130 judges who remained in their positions and issued asylum decisions throughout the period between fiscal years 2021 and 2026.
Three out of four increased the proportion of applications they refused in 2026 compared to their own 2021 rates.
The average increase was 33 percentage points. The median increase was 28 percentage points.
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More cases are reaching a decision
While concessions are decreasing, the courts are also resolving a greater number of asylum cases.
With the recent addition of hundreds of judges, decisions reached record levels for some months in 2026.
In April and May, more than 13,000 cases were resolved each month. In March and again in June, the figure exceeded 14,000.
Growth has not been constant.
After the Trump administration dismissed numerous judges, the number of decisions had declined. In November and December of 2025, around 8,800 decisions were issued each month, barely above the levels at the end of the Biden administration.
The most recent data therefore show two simultaneous phenomena: the courts are resolving more asylum applications and an increasing proportion of those decisions are ending in a denial.
In June 2026, that proportion reached 94.1% nationwide.
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