Immigration judge
Immigration Judge at Phoenix, AZ
EOIR data through Sep 1, 2026 · updated monthly
The 2026-09-01 snapshot lists a 8.1% historical asylum grant rate for John W. Cortes at Phoenix, AZ, based on 451 grants and 5,088 denials (5,539 decided outcomes).
The 2026-09-01 EOIR snapshot lists John W. Cortes with Phoenix, AZ. With an asylum approval rate of 8.1%, this judge is below average compared to the national average. Data sourced from EOIR (Executive Office for Immigration Review). Historical listings do not by themselves establish a current assignment.
Immigration Judge John W. Cortes denied asylum to a mother of five who he found credibly feared cartel murder in Mexico, applying the material-support bar after a cartel terrorism designation.
Source: https://www.kjzz.org/fronteras-desk/2025-05-22/phoenix-immigration-judge-denies-asylum-for-mom-of-5-who-fears-cartel-will-kill-her-in-mexico
This post summarizes publicly reported news and links to the original source. Details may evolve; see the source for specifics.
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John W. Cortes is listed with the Phoenix, AZ Immigration Court. The headline asylum grant rate shown here is 8.1% based on granted and denied asylum decisions represented in the current dataset.
Among the largest nationality groups shown for this judge, the table highlights Mexico (2,362 decided, 2.2% grant rate), Guatemala (596 decided, 1.5% grant rate), and Venezuela (534 decided, 13.5% 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 Other procedural outcomes, including terminated, withdrawn, administratively closed, or removed cases, are tracked separately where available and are not treated as asylum grants.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 2026-09-01. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Mexico | 2,362 | 2.2% |
| Guatemala | 596 | 1.5% |
| Venezuela | 534 | 13.5% |
| Honduras | 283 | 2.5% |
| Colombia | 268 | 1.5% |
| Cuba | 187 | 36.9% |
| Nicaragua | 170 | 2.4% |
| El Salvador | 125 | 4.0% |
| Year | Cases | Grant rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1,775 | 1.2% |
| 2025 | 1,469 | 4.1% |
| 2024 | 715 | 10.1% |
| 2023 | 630 | 13.2% |
| 2022 | 68 | 16.2% |
| 2021 | 76 | 14.5% |
| 2020 | 413 | 26.4% |
Judge John W. Cortes granted asylum in 8.1% of 5,539 decided cases (grants plus denials), according to EOIR data.
The rate (8.1%) is below the 16.6% national rate; the median judge at Phoenix, AZ grants 9.2%. It is a historical average, not a prediction for any one case.
Grants divided by grants plus denials. Terminations, withdrawals and administrative closures are not counted.
