Asylum Grant Rate
32.3% of merits decisions
Asylum cases decided at Otay Mesa Immigration Court
Courts → San Diego, CA
Immigration court · San Diego, CA
Otay Mesa Immigration Court
32.3% asylum grant rate across 2,455 merits decisions (FY2015–2025) - below the 48.2% national average.
Data updated 2026-06-21
- 32.3%
- Asylum grant rate
- 67.7%
- Asylum denial rate
- 338
- Pending cases
- 3 mo
- Time to decision
The verdict
The Otay Mesa Immigration Court granted asylum in 32.3% of the 2,455 cases it decided on the merits - below the 48.2% national rate.
- 32.3%
- Asylum grant rate
- 2,455
- Merits decisions, FY2015–2025
- 15
- Judges with reported asylum decisions
- 338
- 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: Otay Mesa Immigration Court
The Otay Mesa Immigration Court, based in San Diego, CA, decided 2,455 asylum cases on the merits between FY2015 and FY2025 - out of 37,828 total proceedings of all case types it handled. Of those asylum decisions, 792 were granted (32.3%) and 1,663 were denied (67.7%). The court has 15 immigration judges with enough asylum decisions to report, whose individual grant rates shape the court-wide average shown above.
Between fiscal year 2017 and fiscal year 2025, the grant rate at Otay Mesa Immigration Court rose by 15.2 percentage points, moving from 22.2% to 37.4%. That window spans 9 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 MST decided the most asylum cases here - 326 merits decisions (35.9% grant rate). The spread between the highest-grant and lowest-grant judges at this court is 22.4 percentage points - VAB at 40.4% versus MHH at 18.0%. 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.
32.3%
Asylum Grant Rate
67.7%
Asylum Denial Rate
2,455
Asylum Decisions
3 mo
Avg Time to Decision
Pending Cases
338
Open proceedings (all case types)
Asylum Decisions
2,455
Merits decisions, FY2015–2025
Grant rate over time
Asylum grant rate by fiscal year at Otay Mesa Immigration Court.
| Fiscal year | Decisions | Grant rate |
|---|---|---|
| FY2017 | 54 | 22.2% |
| FY2018 | 377 | 19.1% |
| FY2019 | 467 | 33.0% |
| FY2020 | 322 | 46.9% |
| FY2021 | 128 | 26.6% |
| FY2022 | 76 | 36.8% |
| FY2023 | 148 | 37.2% |
| FY2024 | 290 | 22.1% |
| FY2025 | 593 | 37.4% |
The judge lottery at Otay Mesa Immigration Court
15 judges with enough asylum decisions to report. Grant rates run from 40.4% (285 decisions) down to 18.0% (50 decisions) - a 22.4-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 VAB | 285 | |
| 2 | Judge BAR | 26 | |
| 3 | Judge MST | 326 | |
| 4 | Judge APA | 297 | |
| 5 | Judge SAB | 28 | |
| 6 | Judge EHR | 277 | |
| 7 | Judge PAD | 127 | |
| 8 | Judge AAN | 73 | |
| 9 | Judge PSL | 32 | |
| 10 | Judge ZZD | 125 | |
| 11 | Judge GGG | 72 | |
| 12 | Judge OEA | 166 | |
| 13 | Judge CHR | 289 | |
| 14 | Judge SS2 | 143 | |
| 15 | Judge MHH | 50 | |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the grant rate at the Otay Mesa Immigration Court immigration court? ▼
The Otay Mesa Immigration Court immigration court has an overall grant rate of 32.3% and a denial rate of 67.7%, based on 2,455 asylum merits decisions (FY2015–2025) from DOJ EOIR records.
How many immigration judges serve at Otay Mesa Immigration Court? ▼
Otay Mesa Immigration Court has 15 immigration judges on record. Grant rates vary significantly between judges, from 18.0% to 40.4%.
How long do cases take at Otay Mesa Immigration Court? ▼
The average wait time at Otay Mesa Immigration Court is approximately 3 months. Wait times vary based on case type, docket load, and whether continuances are granted.
Where is the Otay Mesa Immigration Court immigration court located? ▼
The Otay Mesa Immigration Court immigration court is located in San Diego, CA. It is part of the DOJ Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) system.
Does the grant rate predict my case outcome at Otay Mesa 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 Otay Mesa Immigration Court grant rate changed over time? ▼
Between FY2017 and FY2025, the grant rate at Otay Mesa Immigration Court increased from 22.2% to 37.4%. Year-by-year data is shown in the trends table on this page.
Explore PlainImmigration
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.
Related
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.