Richard Cato - Immigration Judge, Orlando, FL

Judge Richard Cato

Immigration Judge at Orlando, FL

5.9%

Approval Rate

131

Granted

2,096

Denied

2,227

Total Decided

Judge Richard Cato serves at the Orlando, FL Immigration Court. With an asylum approval rate of 5.9%, this judge is below average compared to the national average. Data sourced from EOIR (Executive Office for Immigration Review).

Community Discussion

DATA AsylumTracker Data 2026-05-22

Judge Cato (Orlando, FL) data snapshot: Overall rate fell from 19% to 2% in 3 years

A few numbers worth knowing if you have a hearing in front of Judge Cato, Richard (IJ code RDC, Orlando, FL):

Overall track record

12 years on the bench (since 2015), 3,189 cases total, lifetime grant rate 7.1%

Last 3 years (2023–2026): 3,146 cases, grant rate 7.2% — roughly in line with the Orlando court average (5.7%)

Nationality breakdown (2023–2026 cumulative)

Nationality / Cases / Grant rate
Cuba                  1121   16.7%
Honduras               296    1.9%
Brazil                 278   11.0%
Venezuela              265    3.0%
Guatemala              256    2.3%
Colombia               177   14.6%
Mexico                 173    2.1%
Haiti                  147    0.0%
Nicaragua              108    0.0%
Dominican Republic      40   22.9%
Ecuador                 36   29.6%

Year-by-year

2023:  466 cases, 19.1% grant rate
2024:  493 cases, 7.6% grant rate
2025: 1383 cases, 4.8% grant rate
2026:  804 cases, 2.2% grant rate

If you've appeared before Judge Cato, I'd love to hear:

1. What's your nationality, and when was your most recent hearing?

2. How did your attorney prepare for this judge specifically?

Source: EOIR (U.S. Executive Office for Immigration Review) public statistics, May 2026 release, compiled by AsylumTracker. A judge's historical pattern does not predict the outcome of any individual case; this is shared to help set realistic expectations. Real-experience accounts from the community are welcome.

Have experience with this judge? Open AsylumTracker to reply or read more responses from the community.

How to Interpret These Judge Statistics

Richard Cato is listed with the Orlando, FL Immigration Court. The headline asylum grant rate shown here is 5.9% based on granted and denied asylum decisions represented in the current dataset.

Among the largest nationality groups shown for this judge, the table highlights Honduras (324 decided, 1.5% grant rate), Venezuela (286 decided, 2.1% grant rate), and Guatemala (257 decided, 1.9% 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 2026-07-01. It is for research and information only, not legal advice.

Read the grant-rate methodology or learn how to read immigration judge statistics.

Nationality	Cases	Grant rate
Honduras	324	1.5%
Venezuela	286	2.1%
Guatemala	257	1.9%
Brazil	248	10.1%
Colombia	192	12.0%
Mexico	173	1.2%
Nicaragua	135	0.0%
Cuba	133	13.5%

Nationality

Cases

Grant rate

Honduras

324

1.5%

Venezuela

286

2.1%

Guatemala

257

1.9%

Brazil

248

10.1%

Colombia

192

12.0%

Mexico

173

1.2%

Nicaragua

135

0.0%

Cuba

133

13.5%

Year	Cases	Grant rate
2026	895	1.3%
2025	744	4.8%
2024	198	7.6%
2023	350	19.1%
2022	3	0.0%
2021	2	0.0%
2020	1	0.0%

Year

Cases

Grant rate

2026

895

1.3%

2025

744

4.8%

2024

198

7.6%

2023

350

19.1%

2022

0.0%

2021

0.0%

2020

0.0%

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Judge Richard Cato's asylum approval rate?

Judge Richard Cato's asylum approval rate is 5.9% according to EOIR FOIA data.

How many asylum cases has Judge Richard Cato decided?

The dataset lists 2,227 total asylum cases for Judge Richard Cato.

How is this approval rate calculated?

The approval rate is calculated as granted divided by (granted + denied). It excludes terminations and withdrawals, and the source is EOIR FOIA data.

Judge Richard Cato

Community Discussion

Judge Cato (Orlando, FL) data snapshot: Overall rate fell from 19% to 2% in 3 years

How to Interpret These Judge Statistics

Nationality Breakdown

Yearly Trends

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Judge Richard Cato's asylum approval rate?

How many asylum cases has Judge Richard Cato decided?

How is this approval rate calculated?

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