Immigration judge

Judge Stephen M. Ruhle

Immigration Judge at El Paso Detained, TX

4.7%Grant rate · all years
Stephen M. Ruhle4.7%
Court median judge4.5%
National16.6%

EOIR data through Sep 1, 2026 · updated monthly

432
Granted
8,818
Denied
9,250
Total Decided
Snapshot answer

The 2026-09-01 snapshot lists a 4.7% historical asylum grant rate for Stephen M. Ruhle at El Paso Detained, TX, based on 432 grants and 8,818 denials (9,250 decided outcomes).

The 2026-09-01 EOIR snapshot lists Stephen M. Ruhle with El Paso Detained, TX. With an asylum approval rate of 4.7%, 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

DATA

Judge Ruhle (El Paso Detained, TX) data snapshot: Overall rate fell from 20% to 9% in 3 years

A few numbers worth knowing if you have a hearing in front of Judge Ruhle, Stephen M. (IJ code SMR, El Paso Detained, TX):

19 years on the bench (since 2008), 10,417 cases total, lifetime grant rate 4.6%

Last 3 years (2023–2026): 2,360 cases, grant rate 8.3% — roughly in line with the El Paso Detained court average (5.4%)

Nationality / Cases / Grant rate
Mexico                 882    5.2%
Venezuela              333   11.1%
Guatemala              189    4.9%
Honduras               179    1.4%
Colombia               115    4.3%
Cuba                    99   19.7%
Ecuador                 94    9.8%
El Salvador             90    2.7%
Nicaragua               78   11.4%
Brazil                  37    4.5%
Dominican Republic      27    0.0%
2023:  260 cases, 19.9% grant rate
2024:  411 cases, 11.0% grant rate
2025: 1042 cases, 4.0% grant rate
2026:  647 cases, 9.2% grant rate

If you've appeared before Judge Ruhle, 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

Stephen M. Ruhle is listed with the El Paso Detained, TX Immigration Court. The headline asylum grant rate shown here is 4.7% 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 (848 decided, 5.2% grant rate), Venezuela (309 decided, 17.2% grant rate), and Honduras (174 decided, 1.1% 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 Breakdown

NationalityCasesGrant rate
Mexico 848 5.2%
Venezuela 309 17.2%
Honduras 174 1.1%
Guatemala 165 4.2%
Colombia 100 4.0%
El Salvador 84 2.4%
Cuba 82 25.6%
Nicaragua 78 16.7%

Yearly Trends

YearCasesGrant rate
2026 458 10.7%
2025 897 4.0%
2024 362 11.0%
2023 221 19.9%
2022 139 18.7%
2021 35 8.6%
2020 32 3.1%

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Judge Stephen M. Ruhle's asylum grant rate?

Judge Stephen M. Ruhle granted asylum in 4.7% of 9,250 decided cases (grants plus denials), according to EOIR data.

Does Judge Stephen M. Ruhle grant asylum more or less often than other judges?

The rate (4.7%) is below the 16.6% national rate; the median judge at El Paso Detained, TX grants 4.5%. 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.

Other judges at this court