Other immigration actions

Federal civil · Immigration · 17,828 cases filed and closed (1988–present).

17,828

Cases filed

92.2%

Ended before a merits judgment

16,431 of 17,828 cases

19.5%

Plaintiff win

of 1,397 merits judgments

71.7%

Defendant win

of merits judgments

Most cases never reach a ruling on the merits. Of 17,828 filed, 92.2% closed without one — settled, dismissed, transferred, or remanded. The win rates above describe only the 1,397 that a judge actually decided.

How they closed

Dismissed69.6%
Other10%
Settled9.7%
Defendant win5.6%
Transferred1.9%
Plaintiff win1.5%
Remanded0.9%
Decided — other0.4%
Mixed0.3%
Affirmed0%
Denied0%

Where you file matters

The same claim resolves differently across districts. Plaintiff-win rate among merits judgments, busiest courts first.

Read the law behind other immigration actions

Source: FJC Integrated Database (public domain), via CourtListener — federal civil cases filed and terminated, 1988–present. Figures are descriptive statistics about how cases of a given type have closed in a given court. They describe the historical record — not a prediction or assessment of any specific case. Not legal advice.