Immigration judge
Immigration Judge at Atlanta, GA
EOIR data through Sep 1, 2026 · updated monthly
The 2026-09-01 snapshot lists a 1.3% historical asylum grant rate for Suzette Smikle at Atlanta, GA, based on 82 grants and 6,311 denials (6,393 decided outcomes).
The 2026-09-01 EOIR snapshot lists Suzette Smikle with Atlanta, GA. With an asylum approval rate of 1.3%, 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.
Judge Suzette Smikle drew public criticism in 2025 after a Nov. 3 bond hearing in which she found she lacked jurisdiction to release DACA recipient and photojournalist Ya’akub Vijandre while discussing his social media and religious/political speech.
Source: https://atlpresscollective.com/2025/12/13/daca-photojournalist-detained-by-ice-for-social-media-posts/
This post summarizes publicly reported news and links to the original source. Details may evolve; see the source for specifics.
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Suzette Smikle is listed with the Atlanta, GA Immigration Court. The headline asylum grant rate shown here is 1.3% based on granted and denied asylum decisions represented in the current dataset.
Among the largest nationality groups shown for this judge, the table highlights Guatemala (1,791 decided, 0.3% grant rate), Mexico (1,396 decided, 1.0% grant rate), and Honduras (1,000 decided, 0.1% 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 Other procedural outcomes, including terminated, withdrawn, administratively closed, or removed cases, are tracked separately where available and are not treated as asylum grants.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 |
|---|---|---|
| Guatemala | 1,791 | 0.3% |
| Mexico | 1,396 | 1.0% |
| Honduras | 1,000 | 0.1% |
| Venezuela | 546 | 1.1% |
| Nicaragua | 384 | 2.3% |
| El Salvador | 292 | 1.0% |
| Colombia | 253 | 0.0% |
| Peru | 133 | 0.0% |
| Year | Cases | Grant rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2,410 | 0.6% |
| 2025 | 1,463 | 1.5% |
| 2024 | 1,215 | 2.1% |
| 2023 | 1,141 | 1.8% |
| 2022 | 4 | 0.0% |
| 2021 | 2 | 0.0% |
| 2020 | 34 | 0.0% |
Judge Suzette Smikle granted asylum in 1.3% of 6,393 decided cases (grants plus denials), according to EOIR data.
The rate (1.3%) is below the 16.6% national rate; the median judge at Atlanta, GA grants 2.5%. 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.
