Immigration judge
Judge Barbara A. Nelson
Immigration Judge at New York City, NY
EOIR data through Oct 1, 2026 · updated monthly
- 4,174
- Granted
- 10,906
- Denied
- 15,080
- Total Decided
Recent decisions (Oct 2024 – Sep 2026): Judge Barbara A. Nelson granted asylum in 7.9% of 2,140 decided cases. That is lower than the judge's all-time rate of 27.7% (15,080 decided cases). Over the same months, New York City, NY Immigration Court granted 9.0% and the national rate was 5.0%.
Historical listings do not by themselves establish a current assignment.
What This Profile's Data Shows
Its 27.7% historical rate is 0.6 percentage points below the 28.2% median among 80 same-court profiles with at least 100 decided outcomes.
The latest qualifying fiscal year is 2026: 5.4% across 1,274 decisions, 6.1 percentage points below the fiscal 2025 rate.
The largest published nationality row is Ecuador: 808 decisions and a 3.8% grant rate in that row's stated scope.
These comparisons describe published historical aggregates; they do not measure judge quality, control for case mix, establish a current assignment, or predict an individual outcome. Thresholds are applied only to reduce unstable small-sample comparisons.
Have experience with this judge? Open AsylumTracker to reply or read more responses from the community.
How to Interpret These Judge Statistics
Among the largest nationality groups shown for this judge (fiscal years 2020–2026), the table highlights Ecuador (808 decided, 3.8% grant rate), China (408 decided, 45.6% grant rate), and Venezuela (336 decided, 5.4% grant rate). Compare these rows with the judge's overall rate because nationality mix can materially change how the headline number should be read.
Grant rate is calculated as granted / (granted + denied). Other procedural outcomes, including terminated, withdrawn, administratively closed, or removed cases, are tracked separately where available and are not treated as asylum grants.
This page is based on public EOIR data last updated 2026-10-01. It is for research and information only, not legal advice.
Read the grant-rate methodology or learn how to read immigration judge statistics.
Nationality Breakdown
Fiscal years 2020–2026 (Oct 2019 – Sep 2026).
| Nationality | Cases | Grant rate |
|---|---|---|
| Ecuador | 808 | 3.8% |
| China | 408 | 45.6% |
| Venezuela | 336 | 5.4% |
| Colombia | 283 | 2.1% |
| Guatemala | 265 | 21.1% |
| El Salvador | 241 | 32.0% |
| Honduras | 216 | 19.9% |
| India | 188 | 22.3% |
Yearly Trends
Federal fiscal years (October to September).
| Fiscal year | Cases | Grant rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1,274 | 5.4% |
| 2025 | 866 | 11.5% |
| 2024 | 709 | 17.3% |
| 2023 | 548 | 33.9% |
| 2022 | 408 | 57.1% |
| 2021 | 61 | 63.9% |
| 2020 | 389 | 26.7% |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Judge Barbara A. Nelson's asylum grant rate?
Across all years in EOIR data, Judge Barbara A. Nelson granted asylum in 27.7% of 15,080 decided cases (grants plus denials). For Oct 2024 – Sep 2026, the rate was 7.9% of 2,140 decided cases.
Does Judge Barbara A. Nelson grant asylum more or less often than other judges?
The all-time rate (27.7%) is above the 16.4% national rate; the median judge at New York City, NY grants 28.3%. It is a historical average, not a prediction for any one case.
How is this grant rate calculated?
Grants divided by grants plus denials. Terminations, withdrawals and administrative closures are not counted.