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Thursday, Apr. 23, 2026

Are 3 in 100 immigrants granted asylum?

Matthew Yim, Oklahoma Watch
yes

According to Mobile Pathways, which compiles federal immigration data, 2.6% of asylum applicants in February 2026 were granted asylum, down from 3.4% in January. 

The downward trend is corroborated by Syracuse University’s TRAC, which found that the asylum grant rate was 4.8% in February and 6.5% in January. The FY2026 asylum grant rate is 9.7% so far, significantly less than the 23.8% in FY2025 and the 38% yearly average since 2001. 

Some pointed to the administration’s authorization of military lawyers to serve as deportation judges to explain the falling rate; the average asylum grant rate of 29 such judges is less than half the national rate. 

Another vital factor in case outcomes is representation; 80% of unrepresented immigration court cases result in removal. Oklahoma had the third-worst rate of representation at 28% of cases, less than half the national rate of 61%. 

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

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