The Honorable Immigration Judge Benjamin Kuipers
Adelanto, CA Immigration Court
Appointed July 2026 · President Donald Trump → Attorney General Pamela Bondi (AG inferred from date)
Less than a year on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Republican administration
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Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Benjamin S. Kuipers was appointed as an immigration judge in July 2026 after serving as a temporary immigration judge at the Phoenix Immigration Court from February to July 2026. Judge Kuipers earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2005 from Hillsdale College and a Juris Doctor in 2009 from the Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. From 2024 to January 2026, he served as a deputy county attorney with the Yavapai County Attorney’s Office in Prescott, Arizona. From 2023 to 2024, he served as a task force judge advocate for the U.S. Army in Jordan, Iraq, and Syria, advising on operational law. From 2021 to 2023, he served as a senior trial defense counsel for the Arizona Army National Guard. From 2019 to 2021, he was the legal officer in charge for Operation Guardian Support, a joint task force with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security. From 2011 to 2023, he was the founder and managing partner of Kuipers Law PLLC. From 2009 to 2011, he worked at an insurance defense firm. He holds the rank of major in the Arizona Army National Guard. Judge Kuipers is a member of the State Bar of Arizona.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
288
Completions per year
288 total
84.7%
Detained at decision
share of cases
6.7 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
0%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
30.2%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
—
Appeals remanded or reversed
only 4 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.
25%⚠
Bond requests granted
12 bond decisions Too few cases
$5,000
Median bond when set
5 bonds with amounts
0%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 25%
Court average 21.9% · median $10,000
National 41.7% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
| Asylum | |
1.6% |
61 decisions Moderate |
| Withholding / CAT | |
0.7% |
134 decisions Moderate |
| Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR) | |
4.4%⚠ |
45 decisions Too few cases |
| Cancellation — 42A (LPR) | |
0%⚠ |
6 decisions Too few cases |
| Adjustment of status (245) | |
0%⚠ |
2 decisions Too few cases |
| Voluntary departure | |
72.5% |
142 decisions Moderate |
1.6%
of asylum claims granted on the merits Moderate
Based on 61 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
0%100% granted
In the bottom 6% of the 889 judges nationally with enough cases to compare.
Does a lawyer matter here?
Asylum grant rate by whether the person had legal representation.
With a lawyer⚠represented · 39 decisions since 2021
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 22 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).