The Honorable Immigration Judge Benjamin D Williams
Oakdale, LA Immigration Court
Appointed February 2026 · President Donald Trump → Attorney General Pamela Bondi
Less than a year on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Republican administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Benjamin D. Williams earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2009 from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and a Juris Doctor in 2012 from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. From 2021 to 2026 he served as an attorney advisor and deputy staff judge advocate with the Nebraska National Guard, and from 2013 to 2021 he was an active-duty judge advocate in the U.S. Army, holding the rank of major. He also served as a U.S. Court of Appeals law clerk. He was appointed a temporary immigration judge assigned to the Omaha Immigration Court.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
278
Completions per year
278 total
98.9%
Detained at decision
share of cases
4.2 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
0%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
7.2%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
—
Appeals remanded or reversed
only 1 appeals — too few
Bond decisions
Custody redetermination (bond) rulings since 2021.
"Granted" means the judge lowered the bond, ordered release on recognizance, or otherwise granted the request.
0%⚠
Bond requests granted
3 bond decisions Too few cases
—
Released on own recognizance
This judge 0%
Court average 36.4% · median $10,000
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
| Asylum | |
3.7%⚠ |
27 decisions Too few cases |
| Withholding / CAT | |
3.3% |
60 decisions Moderate |
| Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR) | |
0%⚠ |
42 decisions Too few cases |
| Cancellation — 42A (LPR) | |
50%⚠ |
2 decisions Too few cases |
| Adjustment of status (245) | |
40%⚠ |
5 decisions Too few cases |
| Voluntary departure | |
71.7% |
205 decisions High confidence |
3.7%⚠
of asylum claims granted on the merits
Based on 27 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021. Fewer than 50 — treat this figure with caution.
Does a lawyer matter here?
Asylum grant rate by whether the person had legal representation.
With a lawyer⚠represented · 15 decisions since 2021
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 12 decisions since 2021
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).