The 2026-09-01 snapshot lists a 4.9% historical asylum grant rate for Ellen Karesh at Richmond, VA, based on 116 grants and 2,271 denials (2,387 decided outcomes).
The 2026-09-01 EOIR snapshot lists Ellen Karesh with Richmond, VA. With an asylum approval rate of 4.9%, 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 Karesh (Richmond, VA) data snapshot: Overall rate fell from 24% to 1% in 3 years
A few numbers worth knowing if you have a hearing in front of Judge Karesh, Ellen (IJ code KAR, Richmond, VA):
Overall track record
5 years on the bench (since 2022), 2,292 cases total, lifetime grant rate 5.7%
Last 3 years (2023–2026): 1,947 cases, grant rate 5.4%
Nationality breakdown (2023–2026 cumulative)
Nationality / Cases / Grant rate
Mexico 449 2.8%
Honduras 326 5.0%
Venezuela 209 4.0%
Guatemala 197 4.8%
Colombia 117 0.9%
Nicaragua 104 3.2%
Brazil 96 1.3%
El Salvador 79 6.9%
Ecuador 74 7.3%
Cuba 42 0.0%
Haiti 27 0.0%
Year-by-year
2023: 201 cases, 24.2% grant rate
2024: 142 cases, 14.8% grant rate
2025: 453 cases, 6.3% grant rate
2026: 1151 cases, 0.9% grant rate
If you've appeared before Judge Karesh, 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
Ellen Karesh is listed with the Richmond, VA Immigration Court. The headline asylum grant rate shown here is 4.9% based on granted and denied asylum decisions represented in the current dataset.
Among the largest nationality groups shown for this judge, the table highlights Mexico (535 decided, 2.2% grant rate), Honduras (410 decided, 3.9% grant rate), and Guatemala (274 decided, 3.6% 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.
Judge Ellen Karesh granted asylum in 4.9% of 2,387 decided cases (grants plus denials), according to EOIR data.
Does Judge Ellen Karesh grant asylum more or less often than other judges?
The rate (4.9%) is below the 16.6% national rate; the median judge at Richmond, VA grants 8.1%. 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.
