Beginning at the tail end of the Biden Administration, asylum approval and relief rates began to experience a stark decline with judges ruling less favorably. During his second term, Former President Joe Biden began to severely restrict asylum eligibility, causing national approval rates to drop from 47.6% to 34.3% throughout the course of 2024, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse.
This trend has continued and amplified with President Donald Trump’s return to office, who seems to be encouraging the fast-tracking of asylum decisions. As asylum decisions can take several years, expediting can limit the ability of applicants to secure representation and, respectively, build their case. At the same time, President Trump has fired dozens of immigration judges since returning to office, several of whom were San Francisco judges who ruled favorably in a majority of asylum cases.
While relief rates have seen a decline across the country, one immigration court in particular, the San Francisco Immigration Court, has raised concerns as its approval rates continue to plummet. According to the same TRAC report, the San Francisco asylum approval rates have dropped from 66.6% in August 2024 to 40.8% in August 2025. While this rate is still nearly double the national average, the approval rate drop is noteworthy, as it has historically been one of the country’s most favorable asylum-granting courts.
Contact a California Asylum Attorney Today
Reeves Immigration Law Group has decades of experience helping immigrants secure asylum approval, achieving success in the most complex cases. Whether you are concerned about asylum, deportation, or obtaining visas, our skilled immigration attorneys are here to help.
With constant changes in legislation, we understand that the risk of deportation is scary, and the answers are not always clear. Contact Reeves Immigration Law Group today to discuss your personal legal options with an asylum attorney.
