The 2026-09-01 snapshot lists a 9.2% historical asylum grant rate for Jose L. Penalosa, JR. at San Diego, CA, based on 251 grants and 2,485 denials (2,736 decided outcomes).
The 2026-09-01 EOIR snapshot lists Jose L. Penalosa, JR. with San Diego, CA. With an asylum approval rate of 9.2%, 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.
Community Discussion
DATAAsylumTracker Data
Judge Penalosa (San Diego, CA) data snapshot: 3,227 cases over 34 years, 9.3% grant rate
A few numbers worth knowing if you have a hearing in front of Judge Penalosa, Jose L., JR. (IJ code JPJ, San Diego, CA):
Overall track record
34 years on the bench (since 1993), 3,227 cases total, lifetime grant rate 9.3%
Last 3 years (2023–2026): 1,622 cases, grant rate 2.5% — 9.4pp below the San Diego court average (11.9%)
Nationality breakdown (2023–2026 cumulative)
Nationality / Cases / Grant rate
Mexico 530 2.8%
Guatemala 259 0.0%
Venezuela 123 0.0%
Colombia 97 3.6%
Haiti 65 0.0%
Russia 58 8.2%
El Salvador 47 7.7%
Peru 47 0.0%
Ecuador 44 0.0%
Honduras 39 6.7%
Brazil 28 0.0%
Year-by-year
2023: 165 cases, 8.3% grant rate
2024: 372 cases, 2.5% grant rate
2025: 560 cases, 1.6% grant rate
2026: 525 cases, 2.1% grant rate
If you've appeared before Judge Penalosa, 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, July 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
Jose L. Penalosa, JR. is listed with the San Diego, CA Immigration Court. The headline asylum grant rate shown here is 9.2% 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 (623 decided, 3.0% grant rate), Guatemala (275 decided, 0.4% grant rate), and Venezuela (143 decided, 11.2% 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.
What is Judge Jose L. Penalosa, JR.'s asylum grant rate?
Judge Jose L. Penalosa, JR. granted asylum in 9.2% of 2,736 decided cases (grants plus denials), according to EOIR data.
Does Judge Jose L. Penalosa, JR. grant asylum more or less often than other judges?
The rate (9.2%) is below the 16.6% national rate; the median judge at San Diego, CA grants 13.3%. 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.
