Appointed June 2020 · President Donald Trump→ Attorney General William P. Barr
6 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Republican administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Daren K Margolin earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1986 from the University of California, Irvine, a Juris Doctor in 1990 from New York Law School, and a Master's in political science and national security studies in 2010 from the Israeli National Defense College and Haifa University. Before his appointment as an assistant chief immigration judge, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps (1989-2016) in defense, prosecution, and judicial roles, and as an assistant chief counsel with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (2017-2020).
Caseload & process (since 2021)
118
Completions per year
472 total
2.5%
Detained at decision
share of cases
26.7 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
24.4%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
5.1%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
—
Appeals remanded or reversed
only 10 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.
12.5%⚠
Bond requests granted
8 bond decisions Too few cases
$20,000
Median bond when set
1 bonds with amounts
0%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 12.5%
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
29.6%⚠
27 decisions Too few cases
Withholding / CAT
5.6%⚠
36 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
0%⚠
1 decision Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
100%⚠
1 decision Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
100%⚠
6 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
42.9%⚠
14 decisions Too few cases
29.6%⚠
of asylum claims granted on the merits
Based on 27 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021. Fewer than 50 — treat this figure with caution.
This judge
29.6%
This court
19.1%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
Does a lawyer matter here?
Asylum grant rate by whether the person had legal representation.
With a lawyer⚠represented · 26 decisions since 2021
30.8%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 1 decision since 2021
0%
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.
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).