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 Craig A Defoe was appointed as an immigration judge in March 2019 by then-Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2004 from Washington University in St. Louis and a Juris Doctor in 2007 from Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. He served as a staff attorney at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (2007-2009) and as a trial attorney with the Office of Immigration Litigation, Department of Justice, which he joined through the Attorney General's Honors Program (2009-2016). From 2016 to 2019, he served as an attorney with the Office of Chief Counsel, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security, in Chicago. He is a member of the Indiana State Bar.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
1,672
Completions per year
10,032 total
3%
Detained at decision
share of cases
17.9 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
32.2%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
8.8%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
5.8%
Appeals remanded or reversed
156 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.
66.7%⚠
Bond requests granted
9 bond decisions Too few cases
$6,000
Median bond when set
5 bonds with amounts
16.7%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 66.7%
Court average 56.1% · median $3,500
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
30.9%
1,182 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
3.9%
1,277 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
48.3%
178 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
70%⚠
10 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
89.2%
83 decisions Moderate
Voluntary departure
83.9%
254 decisions High confidence
30.9%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 1,182 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
30.9%
This court
45.7%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 42% 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 · 1,012 decisions since 2021
34.9%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 170 decisions since 2021
7.1%
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).