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Asylum BeaconU.S. immigration court data

Representation

Fiscal years 2017–2026

Some people in immigration court have a lawyer or an accredited representative, and some do not. This page shows how many had one by the time of the decision, and how far courts and nationalities diverge.

EOIR data through August 31, 2026 · built September 11, 2026 · What these dates mean

The second number in a cell is the expected share: what this court or nationality would show if national rates held in every “nationality and custody” cell. The gap between the share and the expected one is not explained by the case mix.

By year

The year is the one the proceeding was completed in: every case is asked whether a representative was on record by the decision.

0%50%100%44%46%40%40%52%50%44%36%32%34%2017201820192020202120222023202420252026

The line is the national share; exact numbers are in the table below.

The band is the Wilson interval: the share lies within it with 95% confidence.

FY2026 is incomplete: 11 of twelve months are in the release, so its point is hollow.

Show the numbers
By year
Fiscal yearVolumeWith a representative
FY2026incomplete1,229,65534%34% — 34%
FY20251,336,35432%31% — 32%
FY20241,233,40336%36% — 36%
FY2023882,15744%44% — 44%
FY2022593,67050%50% — 50%
FY2021238,37452%51% — 52%
FY2020351,82040%40% — 40%
FY2019441,42240%40% — 41%
FY2018339,01946%46% — 46%
FY2017311,30644%44% — 44%

Detained and released

The share with a representative among people held in custody, released, and never detained.

Representation and custody
StatusFY2026Whole span
Never detained31%31% — 31% · 32% for this case mix · 841,804 completed proceedings37%37% — 37% · 4,506,268 completed proceedings
Released59%59% — 59% · 40% for this case mix · 100,188 completed proceedings50%50% — 50% · 1,302,996 completed proceedings
Detained35%35% — 35% · 38% for this case mix · 287,656 completed proceedings33%33% — 33% · 1,147,824 completed proceedings

Custody and detention fields come to the release from DHS, not from EOIR — the release's own Readme says so. This breakdown shows which cases reach the judge, not the judge's treatment of detained people.

Courts

FY2026; courts with the lowest share come first.

Share of cases with a representative, by court
CourtProceedingsWith a representative
West Valley Immigration Court11,69517%16% — 17% · 25% for this case mix
Hartford Immigration Court9,06117%17% — 18% · 31% for this case mix
San Antonio Immigration Court39,49118%17% — 18% · 31% for this case mix
Portland Immigration Court (POR)6,30918%17% — 19% · 32% for this case mix
Dallas Immigration Court81,90118%18% — 19% · 28% for this case mix
Atlanta Immigration Court (ATL)33,76619%18% — 19% · 31% for this case mix
Denver Immigration Court11,24419%19% — 20% · 28% for this case mix
Chicago Immigration Court66,36322%22% — 23% · 30% for this case mix
Houston Immigration Court (HSG)19,67123%22% — 23% · 31% for this case mix
Harlingen Immigration Court10,48426%25% — 26% · 36% for this case mix
Memphis Immigration Court27,72426%26% — 27% · 32% for this case mix
Orlando Immigration Court58,55826%26% — 27% · 28% for this case mix
Miami Immigration Court (MIA)71,10927%27% — 27% · 26% for this case mix
Houston Immigration Court (HGP)30,05927%27% — 28% · 31% for this case mix
Kansas City Immigration Court12,18527%27% — 28% · 32% for this case mix
Charlotte Immigration Court33,44528%27% — 28% · 30% for this case mix
El Paso Immigration Court (ELP)11,19528%27% — 29% · 35% for this case mix
Las Vegas Immigration Court9,11429%28% — 30% · 34% for this case mix
Newark Immigration Court33,25331%31% — 32% · 33% for this case mix
Seattle Immigration Court13,60332%31% — 32% · 34% for this case mix
Concord Immigration Court14,19532%32% — 33% · 41% for this case mix
Lumpkin Immigration Court14,34933%32% — 33% · 34% for this case mix
Atlanta Immigration Court (ATD)7,08733%32% — 34% · 35% for this case mix
Jena Immigration Court16,99533%32% — 34% · 35% for this case mix
New Orleans Immigration Court11,29933%32% — 34% · 33% for this case mix
Philadelphia Immigration Court23,79233%33% — 34% · 35% for this case mix
Oakdale Immigration Court13,81534%33% — 35% · 35% for this case mix
El Paso Immigration Court (EPD)15,06534%33% — 35% · 36% for this case mix
Pearsall Immigration Court18,13934%34% — 35% · 37% for this case mix
Baton Rouge Immigration Court6,33335%34% — 36% · 33% for this case mix
Portland Immigration Court (POO)63135%31% — 39% · 46% for this case mix
Indianapolis, Indiana14,52536%35% — 37% · 33% for this case mix
Omaha Immigration Court12,67436%35% — 37% · 32% for this case mix
Cleveland Immigration Court19,12836%35% — 37% · 35% for this case mix
Boston Immigration Court16,85437%37% — 38% · 34% for this case mix
Fort Snelling Immigration Court13,36438%37% — 38% · 35% for this case mix
Laredo Immigration Court7,47538%37% — 39% · 37% for this case mix
Tacoma Immigration Court4,60239%38% — 41% · 39% for this case mix
Aurora Immigration Court10,30140%39% — 40% · 37% for this case mix
Detroit Immigration Court12,04340%39% — 40% · 36% for this case mix
Phoenix Immigration Court14,04140%39% — 41% · 31% for this case mix
New York Immigration Court (NYC)53,14441%40% — 41% · 40% for this case mix
Tucson Immigration Court1,39941%38% — 43% · 39% for this case mix
Conroe Immigration Court15,58841%40% — 42% · 36% for this case mix
Sacramento Immigration Court4,35642%40% — 43% · 47% for this case mix
Los Fresnos Immigration Court (PEP)4,26842%41% — 44% · 38% for this case mix
Florence Immigration Court3,19243%41% — 45% · 37% for this case mix
Miami Immigration Court (KRO)16,53044%43% — 44% · 36% for this case mix
Houston Immigration Court (HOU)11,00944%43% — 45% · 32% for this case mix
New York Immigration Court (NYB)24,65444%44% — 45% · 40% for this case mix
Eloy Immigration Court5,43445%44% — 47% · 40% for this case mix
Otero Immigration Court6,10946%45% — 47% · 39% for this case mix
Baltimore Immigration Court10,64446%45% — 47% · 38% for this case mix
Elizabeth Immigration Court18,86847%46% — 47% · 40% for this case mix
San Francisco Immigration Court14,89147%47% — 48% · 40% for this case mix
Chelmsford Immigration Court (CHE)9,29147%46% — 48% · 40% for this case mix
Hyattsville Immigration Court14,11449%48% — 50% · 41% for this case mix
New York Immigration Court (NYV)12,45650%49% — 51% · 39% for this case mix
Buffalo Immigration Court8,11650%49% — 51% · 40% for this case mix
Adelanto Immigration Court13,26051%50% — 52% · 47% for this case mix
Sterling16,50254%53% — 55% · 36% for this case mix
Los Angeles Immigration Court (NLA)14,10854%53% — 55% · 50% for this case mix
Guaynabo Immigration Court65254%51% — 58% · 27% for this case mix
West Los Angeles Immigration Court20,37954%54% — 55% · 39% for this case mix
Annandale Immigration Court (ANN)20,58655%54% — 55% · 40% for this case mix
Imperial Immigration Court3,06057%55% — 59% · 47% for this case mix
San Diego Immigration Court4,51759%58% — 61% · 41% for this case mix
Honolulu Immigration Court58160%56% — 63% · 52% for this case mix
Van Nuys Immigration Court13,82760%59% — 61% · 39% for this case mix
Annandale Immigration Court (WAS)1,85263%61% — 66% · 48% for this case mix
Santa Ana Immigration Court23,67366%65% — 67% · 39% for this case mix
Otay Mesa Immigration Court4,60068%67% — 70% · 52% for this case mix

Nationalities

FY2026; nationalities with the lowest share come first.

Share of cases with a representative, by nationality
NationalityProceedingsWith a representative
Chile4,05718%17% — 19% · 29% for this case mix
Venezuela166,36319%18% — 19% · 28% for this case mix
Haiti35,90721%21% — 22% · 30% for this case mix
Dominican Republic15,34524%24% — 25% · 39% for this case mix
Colombia75,88826%26% — 27% · 33% for this case mix
Cuba78,01427%27% — 27% · 27% for this case mix
Nicaragua53,89928%27% — 28% · 33% for this case mix
Spain60328%24% — 31% · 31% for this case mix
Ecuador58,04428%28% — 28% · 36% for this case mix
Costa Rica1,27828%26% — 31% · 35% for this case mix
Honduras121,28631%30% — 31% · 32% for this case mix
Peru27,61731%31% — 32% · 37% for this case mix
Panama1,02632%29% — 35% · 32% for this case mix
Mexico223,38032%32% — 32% · 34% for this case mix
Guatemala123,62934%34% — 34% · 35% for this case mix
Romania4,45535%33% — 36% · 35% for this case mix
Belize1,07435%32% — 38% · 38% for this case mix
Bahamas57338%34% — 42% · 37% for this case mix
Brazil25,14441%40% — 41% · 34% for this case mix
Canada58441%37% — 45% · 37% for this case mix
Bolivia4,25143%41% — 44% · 48% for this case mix
Guyana60544%41% — 48% · 40% for this case mix
Argentina85445%42% — 49% · 38% for this case mix
Jamaica4,83546%44% — 47% · 38% for this case mix
Morocco79046%43% — 50% · 43% for this case mix
Philippines1,27548%45% — 51% · 43% for this case mix
Jordan2,01249%46% — 51% · 37% for this case mix
Sri Lanka57149%45% — 53% · 41% for this case mix
Indonesia80550%46% — 53% · 41% for this case mix
El Salvador53,29850%50% — 51% · 41% for this case mix
Israel58853%49% — 57% · 42% for this case mix
Kenya69255%51% — 58% · 38% for this case mix
Democratic Republic of Congo68655%51% — 59% · 35% for this case mix
Kazakhstan1,12656%53% — 59% · 42% for this case mix
Congo52357%52% — 61% · 36% for this case mix
Nigeria4,24057%56% — 59% · 36% for this case mix
Azerbaijan60859%55% — 63% · 43% for this case mix
Kirghizia (Kyrgyzstan)1,80859%57% — 61% · 34% for this case mix
Mauritania5,28560%58% — 61% · 40% for this case mix
Uzbekistan4,54760%59% — 62% · 40% for this case mix
Ukraine1,24461%58% — 64% · 41% for this case mix
Angola1,24162%59% — 65% · 36% for this case mix
Sudan62862%58% — 66% · 40% for this case mix
Afghanistan2,38164%62% — 66% · 41% for this case mix
Turkiye7,48964%63% — 65% · 42% for this case mix
Tajikistan (Tadzhik)77968%65% — 71% · 40% for this case mix
Senegal5,73969%68% — 70% · 39% for this case mix
Pakistan1,85169%67% — 71% · 42% for this case mix
Ghana1,94469%67% — 71% · 42% for this case mix
Vietnam3,12369%68% — 71% · 35% for this case mix
Syria60569%66% — 73% · 41% for this case mix
China19,71370%69% — 70% · 48% for this case mix
Georgia2,91370%69% — 72% · 42% for this case mix
Burkina Faso51970%66% — 74% · 41% for this case mix
Iran1,33071%68% — 73% · 47% for this case mix
Russia11,05871%70% — 72% · 41% for this case mix
India23,51876%75% — 76% · 42% for this case mix
Egypt2,32376%74% — 78% · 41% for this case mix
Belarus67577%73% — 80% · 39% for this case mix
Nepal2,27377%76% — 79% · 36% for this case mix
Armenia1,57879%77% — 81% · 55% for this case mix
Cameroon2,59780%79% — 82% · 44% for this case mix
Eritrea59081%77% — 84% · 45% for this case mix
Ethiopia1,52881%79% — 83% · 47% for this case mix
Somalia1,82881%80% — 83% · 38% for this case mix
Bangladesh2,41782%80% — 83% · 47% for this case mix
Guinea3,33484%82% — 85% · 41% for this case mix
Unknown Nationality1,11588%86% — 90% · 45% for this case mix

Courts and nationalities with fewer than 500 completed proceedings in the latest fiscal year are not shown.

"Represented" means a respondent's representative was on record no later than the decision date; the release carries no names. The gap between represented and unrepresented reflects both the quality of counsel and which cases find counsel at all. It does not follow that counsel raises the odds by exactly this much.