Thousands of asylum-seekers are abandoning their cases or facing deportation to third countries under a sweeping Trump administration policy, according to a CBS News analysis of federal data and interviews with attorneys.
Willian Yacelga Benalcazar, who fled Ecuador, spent five months in ICE detention before giving up his asylum claim to avoid deportation to Honduras. He chose to return to Ecuador instead.
While about 17,500 people have been deported to third countries since President Trump returned to office, over 75,500 asylum cases have received motions to terminate proceedings without a hearing. Roughly 12,300 individuals-16% of those affected-have withdrawn or abandoned their claims.
Immigration attorneys say the policy forces judges to order deportations to countries that often lack functioning asylum systems and have not agreed to accept large numbers of deportees. Honduras, for example, agreed to accept only 10 non-Hondurans per month, yet over 6,300 have deportation orders there.
Many cases remain stalled, with about 13,300 immigrants appealing removal orders. The Board of Immigration Appeals decides less than 1% of appeals, while detained individuals wait an average of ten months for a ruling.
A federal lawsuit against the policy is pending, arguing it subverts due process.