Immigration courts (EOIR) in the US — by state

The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) reported 3,469,569 pending cases in immigration courts at the end of the third quarter of FY 2026 (through June 30, 2026), down from a record 3,924,993 at the end of FY 2024 (EOIR, Pending Cases, New Cases, and Total Completions, data generated July 24, 2026). EOIR publishes no per-court wait from Notice to Appear (NTA) to first hearing; the date that counts is the one on your hearing notice or in EOIR's automated case-information system. EOIR publishes hearing-access details for 74 immigration court locations nationwide; the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) hears appeals of immigration-judge decisions.

H.R.1 / OBBBA effective 2026-05-29 introduces fees for some EOIR proceedings: $100 asylum filing fee (Form I-589 — also payable with USCIS for affirmative asylum), $102 Annual Asylum Fee while the case is pending (2026 amount — the $100 base adjusts for inflation each year). H.R.1 also created a fee for people ordered removed in absentia who fail to depart and are later arrested by ICE: $5,130 after the 2026 inflation adjustment (originally $5,000), and a proposed rule (2026-10082, May 20, 2026) would raise it to $18,000 — proposed only, not yet in effect. Verify current fees at justice.gov/eoir before any filing.

The 1996 Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDPA) and Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) significantly expanded grounds for removal and restricted relief. Sanchez v. Mayorkas (593 U.S. ___, 2021) restricted TPS-to-LPR adjustment for entry-without-inspection cases. Pereira v. Sessions (138 S. Ct. 2105, 2018) limited use of “stop-time rule” for cancellation of removal.

For court hearing information: 1-800-898-7180 (automated, 24/7, English/Spanish). For internet-based hearings: each judge publishes Webex links via the per-court page above; telephonic access via the EOIR conferencing system requires the access code listed per judge. Always verify your hearing date via the EOIR Automated Case Information system or your attorney — missing a hearing leads to in-absentia removal order, which carries the new arrest fee plus future inadmissibility.

For free representation: BIA-recognized organizations at /procedures/bia-recognized-help-by-state/, AILA pro bono at ailalawyer.com, the National Immigrant Justice Center, RAICES, CLINIC. Detained-case hotlines: ICE Online Detainee Locator at locator.ice.gov/odls; DHS Office for Civil Rights complaints 1-866-644-8360 Monday-Friday 9:00am-5:00pm Eastern Time.