The 2026-09-01 snapshot lists a 18.5% historical asylum grant rate for Mark Sameit at Otay Mesa, CA, based on 171 grants and 751 denials (922 decided outcomes).
The 2026-09-01 EOIR snapshot lists Mark Sameit with Otay Mesa, CA. With an asylum approval rate of 18.5%, this judge is 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 Sameit (Otay Mesa, CA) data snapshot: Overall rate fell from 24% to 14% in 3 years
A few numbers worth knowing if you have a hearing in front of Judge Sameit, Mark (IJ code MST, Otay Mesa, CA):
Overall track record
9 years on the bench (since 2018), 1,463 cases total, lifetime grant rate 19.2%
Last 3 years (2023–2026): 1,361 cases, grant rate 20.1% — 3.6pp below the Otay Mesa court average (23.7%)
Nationality breakdown (2023–2026 cumulative)
Nationality / Cases / Grant rate
Mexico 367 4.0%
Guatemala 120 1.5%
Russia 104 69.8%
Venezuela 70 7.1%
Colombia 65 6.2%
El Salvador 48 13.8%
China 37 17.6%
India 37 0.0%
Turkiye 36 38.5%
Ecuador 34 0.0%
Honduras 33 0.0%
Year-by-year
2023: 157 cases, 24.4% grant rate
2024: 178 cases, 16.7% grant rate
2025: 536 cases, 24.9% grant rate
2026: 490 cases, 13.9% grant rate
If you've appeared before Judge Sameit, 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
Mark Sameit is listed with the Otay Mesa, CA Immigration Court. The headline asylum grant rate shown here is 18.5% 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 (203 decided, 3.4% grant rate), Guatemala (95 decided, 1.1% grant rate), and Russia (88 decided, 68.2% 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.
Judge Mark Sameit granted asylum in 18.5% of 922 decided cases (grants plus denials), according to EOIR data.
Does Judge Mark Sameit grant asylum more or less often than other judges?
The rate (18.5%) is close to the 16.6% national rate; the median judge at Otay Mesa, CA grants 20.6%. 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.
