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 Bryan E. Depowell earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2007 from the University of Hawai'i at Manoa and a Juris Doctor in 2009 from Widener University Commonwealth Law School. He served as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in the Felony Trials Division of the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney for the City and County of Honolulu from 2019 to 2021, as Chief Counsel for the House Minority Research Office of the State of Hawai'i from 2018 to 2019, and as an associate attorney with Crisp and Associates LLC in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania from 2012 to 2018. He is a member of the Hawaii State Bar and the Pennsylvania Bar.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
531
Completions per year
3,187 total
61%
Detained at decision
share of cases
1.3 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
0.2%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
9.7%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
19%
Appeals remanded or reversed
210 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.
22.9%
Bond requests granted
861 bond decisions High confidence
$7,500
Median bond when set
322 bonds with amounts
1.5%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 22.9%
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
6.6%
290 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
2.5%
629 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
2.9%⚠
34 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
10.5%⚠
19 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
22.2%⚠
18 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
50%
132 decisions Moderate
6.6%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 290 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
6.6%
This court
13.5%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the bottom 11% 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 · 195 decisions since 2021
9.2%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 95 decisions since 2021
1.1%
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.
* 2026 is a partial year (data through 06/01/2026) and is incomplete.
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).