The Honorable Immigration Judge Benjamin Kuipers

Adelanto, CA 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

Attend this judge's internet-based hearing

EOIR publishes a WebEx link and telephonic access code for each sitting judge. Use these only if you have a hearing scheduled before this judge.

▶ Join by WebEx
Dial 1-415-527-5035Access code: 2827 479 0358Telephonic access
Source: EOIR — Find an Immigration Court. Recording an internet-based hearing is prohibited (8 C.F.R. § 1003.28). Respondents without a representative default to in-person hearings.

Background

The Honorable Immigration Judge Benjamin S. 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. He served as a deputy county attorney with the Yavapai County Attorney's Office in Prescott, Arizona from 2024 to 2026, as a task force judge advocate for the U.S. Army in Jordan, Iraq, and Syria from 2023 to 2024, and as senior trial defense counsel for the Arizona Army National Guard from 2021 to 2023. Earlier he founded and managed Kuipers Law PLLC and served as the legal officer in charge for Operation Guardian Support, a joint task force with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. He holds the rank of major in the Arizona Army National Guard and is a member of the State Bar of Arizona.

Caseload & process (since 2021)
168
Completions per year
168 total
83.9%
Detained at decision
share of cases
8.2 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
0%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
32.1%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
Appeals remanded or reversed
only 2 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
8 bond decisions Too few cases
$5,250
Median bond when set
2 bonds with amounts
0%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 25%
Court average 23.7% · median $9,000
National 41.9% · median $6,500

Grant rates by type of relief

Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
2.6% 39 decisions Too few cases
Withholding / CAT
1.2% 85 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
5.6% 36 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
0% 4 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
0% 2 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
62% 71 decisions Moderate
2.6%
of asylum claims granted on the merits
Based on 39 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021. Fewer than 50 — treat this figure with caution.
This judge
2.6%
This court
13.5%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted

Does a lawyer matter here?

Asylum grant rate by whether the person had legal representation.
With a lawyerrepresented · 25 decisions since 2021
4%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 14 decisions since 2021
0%

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).
Adelanto, CA · home court
87 (52%)
75 (45%)
4 (2.4%)
2 (1.2%)