Immigration judge
Immigration Judge at San Diego, CA
Small sample: 99 decided cases. A few decisions can move this rate a lot.
EOIR data through Sep 1, 2026 · updated monthly
The 2026-09-01 snapshot lists a 12.1% historical asylum grant rate for Rhana Ishimoto at San Diego, CA, based on 12 grants and 87 denials (99 decided outcomes).
The 2026-09-01 EOIR snapshot lists Rhana Ishimoto with San Diego, CA. With an asylum approval rate of 12.1%, 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 Rhana Ishimoto was named in a federal lawsuit (Espinoza v. Blanche, filed May 2026) as among the immigration judges the U.S. Department of Justice fired. This reflects an allegation in a court filing, subject to further proceedings.
Source: https://www.justsecurity.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Espinoza-v.-Blanche-Complaint.pdf
This post summarizes a public court filing and links to the source.
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Rhana Ishimoto is listed with the San Diego, CA Immigration Court. The headline asylum grant rate shown here is 12.1% 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 (32 decided, 3.1% grant rate), Colombia (9 decided, 0.0% grant rate), and Guatemala (9 decided, 0.0% 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 Other procedural outcomes, including terminated, withdrawn, administratively closed, or removed cases, are tracked separately where available and are not treated as asylum grants.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 | 32 | 3.1% |
| Colombia | 9 | 0.0% |
| Guatemala | 9 | 0.0% |
| Peru | 3 | 0.0% |
| Turkey | 3 | 100.0% |
| Afghanistan | 3 | 0.0% |
| Ecuador | 3 | 0.0% |
| Russia | 2 | 100.0% |
| Year | Cases | Grant rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 15 | 26.7% |
| 2024 | 56 | 7.1% |
| 2023 | 16 | 18.8% |
| 2022 | 1 | 0.0% |
| 2021 | 1 | 100.0% |
Judge Rhana Ishimoto granted asylum in 12.1% of 99 decided cases (grants plus denials), according to EOIR data.
The rate (12.1%) 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.
Grants divided by grants plus denials. Terminations, withdrawals and administrative closures are not counted.
