Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Media Tip Sheets
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Media Tip Sheets

Asylum Grant Rates Increase Under Biden Administration

Wednesday, November 17, 2021, By Lily Datz
Share
Asylum CasesFreedom of Information ActImmigrationPresident BidenTransactional Records Access Clearinghouse

Under the new Biden administration, asylum seekers are seeing greater success rates in securing asylum.

While the percent of immigrants who were denied asylum went up each year during the Trump administration to a high of 71 percent in FY 2020, they fell to 63 percent in FY 2021. Success rates grew from 29 percent to 37 percent under President Biden.

However, due to the pandemic, fewer asylum cases are being decided by immigration judges. This means fewer total asylum seekers actually won their cases despite this improving success rate. During FY 2021 just 23,827 asylum decisions were issued, down from 60,079 decisions during FY 2020. These statistics count all decisions rendered on the merits of asylum seekers’ claims.

Even with the greater odds of success, the number of asylum seekers who were granted asylum during FY 2021 was only 8,349 with an additional 402 granted another type of relief instead of asylum. In sheer numbers, this was only about half the number of asylum seekers who had been granted relief during FY 2020.

You can see the original published report on TRAC’s website here.

Austin Kocher

Dr. Austin Kocher is an assistant professor and researcher at the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), a research institute that uses Freedom of Information Act requests to study the federal government. Key areas of Kocher’s current research at TRAC include federal immigration detention, enforcement, and deportation, the immigration court system, and trends within the federal criminal and civil courts.

“Our new detailed report on asylum cases decided in FY 2021 sheds new light on how the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the Biden administration have impacted the everyday functions of the immigration court system. For instance, we found that the success rate for asylum-seekers in immigration court has gone up since Joe Biden became president, even though the total number of people being granted asylum has actually declined since the Trump administration. We also found when it comes to understanding who gets asylum and why, key factors here include nationality and access to legal representation most important.”

To request an interview with Dr. Kocher, please contact Joshua Grossman, director of media relations,  at jmgrossm@syr.edu or 202.227.9250  

  • Author

Lily Datz

  • Recent
  • Eight New Recruits Begin Campus Peace Officer Academy
    Thursday, May 19, 2022, By Christine Weber
  • Media Tip Sheet: Consequences of China Lockdown
    Thursday, May 19, 2022, By Vanessa Marquette
  • Dean Rajiv ‘Raj’ Dewan to Step Down as Dean of the School of Information Studies
    Thursday, May 19, 2022, By News Staff
  • 2022 Graduates Reflect on Service as Academic Coaches
    Thursday, May 19, 2022, By Ellen de Graffenreid
  • Funding Expands for Newhouse Professors’ Work on Technology to Combat Fake News
    Wednesday, May 18, 2022, By Wendy S. Loughlin

More In Media Tip Sheets

Media Tip Sheet: Consequences of China Lockdown

As the intense lockdowns continue in China, one of our Syracuse University professors weighed in on possible consequences they may have on the economy. Dimitar Gueorguiev is an associate professor of political science at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and…

Architecture Expert and Researcher of Abortion Clinics On the Future of Access

Last week, a draft decision for Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization was leaked from the Supreme Court and shows that five justices are preparing a judgment that would strike down Roe v. Wade. For reporters covering this ongoing story,…

“Inclusion Should Not Be an Afterthought”: Education and Legal Experts Weigh In on Plan to Update Federal Regulations

For the first time in 45 years, the U.S. Education Department is planning to update federal mandates for how schools and colleges must accommodate students with disabilities. The department is soliciting public comments about how current regulations can be improved…

Response to Putin’s Speech

As we heard earlier today, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he had no choice but to invade Ukraine in his Victory Day speech (CNN). Syracuse University’s Mark Jacobson has responded to this speech (see below). Jacobson is the assistant dean of Washington programs…

Leaks at the Supreme Court, what really matters? The leak or the decision?

This week, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts ordered an investigation on how a draft decision of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization was leaked to Politico. This leak shows that five justices are preparing a judgment that would strike down…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • Facebook
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • Youtube
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • @SUCampus
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2022 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.