The Honorable Immigration Judge Adrian F Paredes Velasco
El Paso, TX Immigration Court
Appointed August 2023 · President Joe Biden→ Attorney General Merrick Garland
3 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Democratic administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Adrian F. Paredes Velasco earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2002 from Lawrence University, a Master of Arts in 2005 from the University of Iowa, and a Juris Doctor in 2011 from Phoenix School of Law. From 2015 to 2023 he served as an assistant chief counsel with the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in El Paso, and from 2011 to 2015 he worked as a legal clerk and attorney at the Lehm Law Group in Phoenix, Arizona. He is a member of the State Bar of Arizona.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
938
Completions per year
3,754 total
1.2%
Detained at decision
share of cases
11.6 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
28.9%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
3.8%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
10%
Appeals remanded or reversed
20 appeals decided
Bond decisions
Custody redetermination (bond) rulings since 2021.
"Granted" means the judge lowered the bond, ordered release on recognizance, or otherwise granted the request.
50%⚠
Bond requests granted
6 bond decisions Too few cases
$5,000
Median bond when set
3 bonds with amounts
0%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 50%
Court average 0%
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
33.2%
193 decisions Moderate
Withholding / CAT
4.2%
215 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
0%⚠
2 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
0%⚠
2 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
66.7%⚠
9 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
78.9%⚠
19 decisions Too few cases
33.2%
of asylum claims granted on the merits Moderate
Based on 193 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
33.2%
This court
18.9%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 40% of the 825 judges nationally with enough cases to compare.
Does a lawyer matter here?
Asylum grant rate by whether the person had legal representation.
With a lawyerrepresented · 153 decisions since 2021
41.8%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 40 decisions since 2021
0%
Asylum grant rate over time
Each point is that calendar year's grant rate, back to 2015 where the judge was deciding cases — the longer career view. Dashed grey line = current national average (31.8%). Headline rates above use 2021 – today.
Courts where this judge has decided cases
Hearing locations for cases this judge completed since 2021, by number of decisions.
Many judges hear cases from more than one court (detained facilities, video dockets, or reassignments).