Immigration judge
Judge Michael W. Straus
Immigration Judge at Hartford, CT
EOIR data through Oct 1, 2026 · updated monthly
- 3,792
- Granted
- 18,932
- Denied
- 22,724
- Total Decided
Recent decisions (Oct 2024 – Sep 2026): Judge Michael W. Straus granted asylum in 8.2% of 1,390 decided cases. That is lower than the judge's all-time rate of 16.7% (22,724 decided cases). Over the same months, Hartford, CT Immigration Court granted 4.1% and the national rate was 5.0%.
Historical listings do not by themselves establish a current assignment.
What This Profile's Data Shows
Its 16.7% historical rate is 7.0 percentage points above the 9.7% median among 11 same-court profiles with at least 100 decided outcomes.
The latest qualifying fiscal year is 2025: 7.9% across 1,386 decisions, 1.5 percentage points below the fiscal 2024 rate.
The largest published nationality row is Brazil: 1,339 decisions and a 1.7% 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.
How to Interpret These Judge Statistics
Among the largest nationality groups shown for this judge (fiscal years 2020–2026), the table highlights Brazil (1,339 decided, 1.7% grant rate), Guatemala (1,133 decided, 8.7% grant rate), and Ecuador (1,026 decided, 9.8% 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 Other procedural outcomes, including terminated, withdrawn, administratively closed, or removed cases, are tracked separately where available and are not treated as asylum grants.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 |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 1,339 | 1.7% |
| Guatemala | 1,133 | 8.7% |
| Ecuador | 1,026 | 9.8% |
| Honduras | 690 | 8.1% |
| Nicaragua | 606 | 5.4% |
| Peru | 330 | 6.4% |
| El Salvador | 223 | 12.1% |
| Colombia | 216 | 10.6% |
Yearly Trends
Federal fiscal years (October to September).
| Fiscal year | Cases | Grant rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 4 | 100.0% |
| 2025 | 1,386 | 7.9% |
| 2024 | 1,646 | 9.4% |
| 2023 | 1,476 | 8.3% |
| 2022 | 794 | 19.6% |
| 2021 | 616 | 16.4% |
| 2020 | 591 | 14.4% |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Judge Michael W. Straus's asylum grant rate?
Across all years in EOIR data, Judge Michael W. Straus granted asylum in 16.7% of 22,724 decided cases (grants plus denials). For Oct 2024 – Sep 2026, the rate was 8.2% of 1,390 decided cases.
Does Judge Michael W. Straus grant asylum more or less often than other judges?
The all-time rate (16.7%) is close to the 16.4% national rate; the median judge at Hartford, CT grants 9.7%. 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.