Courts → Harlingen, TX

Immigration court · Harlingen, TX

Harlingen Immigration Court

49.4% asylum grant rate across 4,552 merits decisions (FY2015–2025) - roughly in line with the 48.2% national average.

Data updated 2026-06-21

49.4%
Asylum grant rate
50.6%
Asylum denial rate
7,242
Pending cases
22 mo
Time to decision

The verdict

The Harlingen Immigration Court granted asylum in 49.4% of the 4,552 cases it decided on the merits - roughly in line with the 48.2% national rate.

49.4%
Asylum grant rate
4,552
Merits decisions, FY2015–2025
27
Judges with reported asylum decisions
7,242
Pending cases (all types)
Statistical data only. Grant rates reflect historical case outcomes and are not predictive of any individual case result. Consult a licensed immigration attorney for legal advice.

Case Insights: Harlingen Immigration Court

The Harlingen Immigration Court, based in Harlingen, TX, decided 4,552 asylum cases on the merits between FY2015 and FY2025 - out of 363,013 total proceedings of all case types it handled. Of those asylum decisions, 2,248 were granted (49.4%) and 2,304 were denied (50.6%). The court has 27 immigration judges with enough asylum decisions to report, whose individual grant rates shape the court-wide average shown above.

Between fiscal year 2015 and fiscal year 2025, the grant rate at Harlingen Immigration Court fell by 21.1 percentage points, moving from 81.1% to 60.0%. That window spans 11 fiscal years of reported data, covering shifts in bench composition, policy guidance, and nationality mix. The year-by-year table lower on this page shows the underlying annual case volume for every year in the series.

Outcomes vary substantially judge-to-judge. Judge DIG decided the most asylum cases here - 557 merits decisions (54.8% grant rate). The spread between the highest-grant and lowest-grant judges at this court is 75.4 percentage points - ET at 94.8% versus SSL at 19.4%. These differences reflect case mix, nationality assignments, and docket type rather than any single factor, and they are why EOIR cautions readers against treating any judge's rate as predictive of an individual case.

49.4%
Asylum Grant Rate
50.6%
Asylum Denial Rate
4,552
Asylum Decisions
22 mo
Avg Time to Decision
Granted2248Denied2304
Asylum Outcomes at Harlingen Immigration Court - 4,552 merits decisions, FY2015–2025

Asylum Grant Rate

49.4% of merits decisions

Asylum cases decided at Harlingen Immigration Court

Pending Cases

7,242

Open proceedings (all case types)

Asylum Decisions

4,552

Merits decisions, FY2015–2025

Grant rate over time

Asylum grant rate by fiscal year at Harlingen Immigration Court.

Fiscal year Decisions Grant rate
FY2015 169 81.1%
FY2016 261 88.1%
FY2017 339 84.4%
FY2018 181 43.6%
FY2019 269 37.2%
FY2020 1,501 26.9%
FY2021 445 67.0%
FY2022 586 42.5%
FY2023 313 56.5%
FY2024 218 57.8%
FY2025 270 60.0%

The judge lottery at Harlingen Immigration Court

27 judges with enough asylum decisions to report. Grant rates run from 94.8% (58 decisions) down to 19.4% (180 decisions) - a 75.4-point spread on the same bench. Rates based on smaller decision counts carry more statistical noise.

Judge names below are the anonymized judge codes EOIR assigns in its public case-data release, not verified public identities. EOIR does not publish immigration judges' full names in this dataset. See our methodology for detail.

# Judge Decisions Asylum grant rate
1 Judge ET 58
94.8%
2 Judge HEA 432
70.4%
3 Judge DA 302
69.2%
4 Judge FTP 149
63.8%
5 Judge SC3 176
62.5%
6 Judge BC2 80
61.3%
7 Judge CB1 108
58.3%
8 Judge JBE 48
58.3%
9 Judge MJG 168
57.1%
10 Judge JTL 383
56.4%
11 Judge DIG 557
54.8%
12 Judge JNC 341
52.5%
13 Judge CRP 33
51.5%
14 Judge MKB 126
50.8%
15 Judge DGT 61
42.6%
16 Judge WLA 39
41.0%
17 Judge PHE 82
36.6%
18 Judge KFL 92
35.9%
19 Judge BLH 44
34.1%
20 Judge DHF 209
30.6%
21 Judge SME 122
28.7%
22 Judge JAM 63
28.6%
23 Judge MIO 100
25.0%
24 Judge JGC 196
23.0%
25 Judge MUN 92
22.8%
26 Judge MTG 140
22.1%
27 Judge SSL 180
19.4%

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the grant rate at the Harlingen Immigration Court immigration court? ▼
The Harlingen Immigration Court immigration court has an overall grant rate of 49.4% and a denial rate of 50.6%, based on 4,552 asylum merits decisions (FY2015–2025) from DOJ EOIR records.
How many immigration judges serve at Harlingen Immigration Court? ▼
Harlingen Immigration Court has 27 immigration judges on record. Grant rates vary significantly between judges, from 19.4% to 94.8%.
How long do cases take at Harlingen Immigration Court? ▼
The average wait time at Harlingen Immigration Court is approximately 22 months. Wait times vary based on case type, docket load, and whether continuances are granted.
Where is the Harlingen Immigration Court immigration court located? ▼
The Harlingen Immigration Court immigration court is located in Harlingen, TX. It is part of the DOJ Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) system.
Does the grant rate predict my case outcome at Harlingen Immigration Court? ▼
No. Grant rates are historical averages reflecting aggregate outcomes across all case types and judges. Individual outcomes depend on the specific facts of each case, the judge assigned, the type of relief sought, and whether you have legal representation. Always consult a licensed immigration attorney.
How has the Harlingen Immigration Court grant rate changed over time? ▼
Between FY2015 and FY2025, the grant rate at Harlingen Immigration Court decreased from 81.1% to 60.0%. Year-by-year data is shown in the trends table on this page.

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Data from the DOJ Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) via FOIA bulk case data. Statistical information only, not legal advice.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

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Source: U.S. EOIR, Immigration Court Statistics Immigration court outcomes by court and case type · 2025

Every figure on PlainImmigration is rendered directly from federal immigration court records, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on DOJ EOIR case-level records, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.