The 2026-09-01 snapshot lists a 9.8% historical asylum grant rate for Leon J. Francis at Santa Ana, CA, based on 422 grants and 3,894 denials (4,316 decided outcomes).
The 2026-09-01 EOIR snapshot lists Leon J. Francis with Santa Ana, CA. With an asylum approval rate of 9.8%, 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 Francis (Santa Ana, CA) data snapshot: Russia vs El Salvador grant rates differ 53×, overall rate fell from 21% to 4% in 3 years
A few numbers worth knowing if you have a hearing in front of Judge Francis, Leon J. (IJ code LJF, Santa Ana, CA):
Overall track record
31 years on the bench (since 1996), 4,433 cases total, lifetime grant rate 10.0%
Last 3 years (2023–2026): 2,760 cases, grant rate 11.1% — roughly in line with the Santa Ana court average (9.5%)
Nationality breakdown (2023–2026 cumulative)
Nationality / Cases / Grant rate
Mexico 870 2.7%
Nicaragua 305 4.3%
Guatemala 284 4.3%
Colombia 260 2.4%
China 150 47.1%
Venezuela 144 1.5%
Honduras 113 2.8%
El Salvador 103 1.2%
Russia 96 64.2%
Peru 83 6.3%
India 77 36.6%
Russia applicants see a 64.2% grant rate versus 1.2% for El Salvador applicants — a 53.3× gap on this judge's docket.
Year-by-year
2023: 466 cases, 21.4% grant rate
2024: 715 cases, 14.1% grant rate
2025: 909 cases, 8.1% grant rate
2026: 670 cases, 4.2% grant rate
If you've appeared before Judge Francis, 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
Leon J. Francis is listed with the Santa Ana, CA Immigration Court. The headline asylum grant rate shown here is 9.8% 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 (1,029 decided, 3.6% grant rate), Guatemala (573 decided, 1.9% grant rate), and Nicaragua (328 decided, 5.2% 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 Leon J. Francis's asylum grant rate?
Judge Leon J. Francis granted asylum in 9.8% of 4,316 decided cases (grants plus denials), according to EOIR data.
Does Judge Leon J. Francis grant asylum more or less often than other judges?
The rate (9.8%) is below the 16.6% national rate; the median judge at Santa Ana, CA grants 8.4%. 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.
