Appointed March 2022 · President Joe Biden→ Attorney General Merrick Garland
4 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Democratic administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Carmen Rey Caldas was appointed as an immigration judge in March 2022 by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2001 from New York University and a Juris Doctor in 2006 from Brooklyn Law School. She began her career at Sanctuary for Families in New York, serving as an Equal Justice Fellow (2006-2008) and staff attorney (2008-2011), and later as a senior immigration attorney at Her Justice (2011-2015). She directed the Immigration Intervention Project at Sanctuary for Families (2015-2018), co-directed the Safe Harbor Clinic as an assistant professor of clinical law at Brooklyn Law School (2018-2020), and served as U.S. Legal Director at the International Refugee Assistance Project (2020-2022). She is a member of the New York State Bar.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
900
Completions per year
5,402 total
42.8%
Detained at decision
share of cases
2.1 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
6.8%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
2.2%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
37%
Appeals remanded or reversed
81 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.
47.9%
Bond requests granted
678 bond decisions High confidence
$4,000
Median bond when set
782 bonds with amounts
0.3%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 47.9%
Court average 38.5% · median $5,000
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
57.8%
275 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
12.1%
544 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
31.8%⚠
22 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
50%⚠
8 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
91.7%⚠
12 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
72%
132 decisions Moderate
57.8%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 275 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
57.8%
This court
19.5%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 14% 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 · 232 decisions since 2021
63.8%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 43 decisions since 2021
25.6%
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).