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Nearly 90% of Charlotte immigration court cases this year have ended in deportation

Charlotte's immigration court is located on Albemarle Road in east Charlotte.
Julian Berger
/
WFAE
Charlotte's immigration court is located on Albemarle Road in east Charlotte.

Immigration judges at Charlotte’s immigration court ordered more than 18,000 removals from January through August, more than twice the number ordered during the same period in 2024.

The Executive Office for Immigration Review data shows judges ordered 18,286 removals this year. That is up from 14,521 removal orders during the same period in 2025 and 8,840 in 2024.

The court completed fewer cases overall this year, 20,594, compared with 23,245 last year. But nearly 90% of completed cases ended in removal, compared with about 62% last year and half in 2024.

Only 203 cases resulted in immigrants being granted legal relief, allowing them to remain in the U.S.

The Charlotte immigration court handles cases from both North and South Carolina and has a backlog of more than 119,000 pending cases.

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Julian Berger is a Race & Equity Reporter at WFAE, Charlotte’s NPR affiliate. His reporting focuses on Charlotte's Latino community and immigration policy. He is an award-winning journalist who has earned Regional Edward R. Murrow and RTDNAC awards for his coverage of heightened immigration enforcement.