At the end of 2025, there were 117.8 million people forcibly displaced globally as a result of persecution, conflict, violence, or human rights violations, according to UNHCR data cited in an analysis by The Hill. Nine million of them were seeking asylum. In 2015, more than a million asylum-seekers fled to European Union countries, overwhelming EU systems and contributing to a decade of support for far-right parties across the continent.

The U.S. is facing similar pressures. As of the end of April, the immigration court backlog exceeded 3 million pending cases. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services had more than 1.5 million affirmative asylum applications pending at the end of 2025. The average wait for a hearing before an immigration judge has reached 4.3 years, with some courts approaching six years.

In response to its own migration crisis, the EU introduced a Migration and Asylum Pact in 2024 that became fully applicable on June 12, 2026. The pact includes dozens of provisions: mandatory screening at borders, an expanded Eurodac database for biometric data, accelerated border processing for priority groups of undocumented migrants, crisis-management procedures, and measures for rapid removal of unsuccessful asylum applicants.

The EU framework also limits detention to cases where it is necessary and subject to judicial scrutiny, viewing it as a last resort when less coercive measures will not work. Asylum-seekers under the pact are entitled to free legal counseling.

What the Right Is Saying

Conservative commentators have argued that the U.S. should move more decisively to reduce its backlog and expedite removals. 'The EU's crisis provisions and accelerated processing timelines show what is possible when governments treat immigration enforcement as a priority,' said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies.

Former acting ICE Director John Sandweg told The Hill that expanding biometric identification capabilities could significantly improve border security. 'Mobile biometric readers would help officers quickly identify individuals who have crossed illegally multiple times, visa overstayers, and those with final removal orders,' he noted in the analysis.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) has cited EU enforcement mechanisms as a model for U.S. policy. 'The fact that only about 20 percent of migrants who received expulsion orders in Europe were actually expelled illustrates why we need stronger removal procedures,' he said in floor remarks last month, adding that U.S. statutory provisions already authorize execution of final deportation orders within 90 days.

What the Left Is Saying

Progressive advocates have expressed caution about adopting elements of the EU approach. 'Any accelerated processing system must preserve due process rights,' said Marielena Hincapie, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, in a statement to reporters. 'We cannot create fast-track systems that effectively deny protection to those with legitimate claims simply because they come from countries with historically low approval rates.'

Advocacy groups have noted that grant rates for asylum applications vary enormously by country of origin, ranging from single digits to 77 percent in fiscal year 2023. Some progressive critics argue that accelerated procedures for countries with low success rates could disproportionately harm applicants who face genuine persecution but lack resources to document their cases.

The American Immigration Lawyers Association has emphasized the importance of maintaining access to legal counsel. The EU pact's provision guaranteeing free legal counseling is 'a model worth examining,' according to AILA President David L. Inca. 'Complex asylum cases require competent representation to ensure accurate outcomes.'

What the Numbers Show

Global displacement reached 117.8 million people at the end of 2025, with 9 million actively seeking asylum worldwide, according to UNHCR figures cited by The Hill's analysis.

U.S. Immigration Court Backlog: More than 3 million pending cases as of April 2026. Average wait time for a hearing: 4.3 years; some courts approaching six-year delays.

USCIS Affirmative Asylum Backlog: More than 1.5 million applications pending at end of fiscal year 2025.

Asylum Grant Rates by Country (Fiscal Year 2023): Range from single digits to 77 percent, illustrating wide variation in approval rates depending on applicant nationality.

Final Deportation Orders Not Executed: As of November 2024, more than 1.4 million aliens subject to final deportation orders had not been deported, according to government data cited in the analysis.

EU Accelerated Processing Timeline: Applicants from countries with less than 20 percent success rate can be held at border for up to 16 weeks while applications are processed under the new pact.

Removal Rate Gap: Only approximately 20 percent of migrants who received expulsion orders in EU jurisdictions have been successfully expelled, highlighting enforcement challenges even with comprehensive legal frameworks.

The Bottom Line

Nolan Rappaport, an immigration law expert who served on the House Judiciary Committee and wrote decisions for the Board of Immigration Appeals for 20 years, argued in The Hill that four elements of the EU pact could be adapted for U.S. use: accelerated procedures for applicants from countries with low approval rates, expanded biometric identification systems, comprehensive emergency frameworks for sudden increases in applications, and enhanced removal procedures.

Rappaport noted that many EU provisions address the specific challenge of coordinating asylum systems across 27 member states—complexity not present in the U.S. system. However, he suggested that single-country dockets for nations with very low grant rates could help immigration judges develop expertise more quickly, accelerating case resolution while still allowing merit claims to be identified.

The expanded use of biometrics and mobile identification readers has bipartisan support among enforcement-focused observers as a relatively non-controversial efficiency measure. The more politically sensitive questions involve accelerated processing timelines and removal procedures, where advocates for asylum seekers argue that speed should not come at the expense of thorough review.

What to watch: Whether any elements of the EU approach appear in future immigration legislation or administrative actions from the Trump administration, which has made border security a central priority.