The Honorable Immigration Judge Delana M Jones

Houston — S. Gessner Road, TX Immigration Court
Appointed October 2020 · President Donald Trump Attorney General William P. Barr (AG inferred from date)
5 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Republican administration

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Dial 1-415-527-5035Access code: 199 773 3000Telephonic 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 Delana M. Jones earned a Bachelor of Science in 1998 from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University and a Juris Doctor in 2006 from Harvard Law School. Before her appointment, she served as an assistant U.S. attorney and special assistant U.S. attorney in the Northern District of Georgia (2013-2020) and as a law clerk to U.S. Magistrate Judge Linda T. Walker (2010-2013). Earlier she was in private practice in Atlanta (2006-2010).

Caseload & process (since 2021)
1,766
Completions per year
10,598 total
3.2%
Detained at decision
share of cases
15.5 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
30.7%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
7.3%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
4.4%
Appeals remanded or reversed
113 appeals decided

Grant rates by type of relief

Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
3.7% 651 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
0.8% 1,131 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
4.8% 42 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
50% 6 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
76.9% 39 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
84% 150 decisions Moderate
3.7%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 651 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
3.7%
This court
6.9%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the bottom 6% 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 · 525 decisions since 2021
4.6%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 126 decisions 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.
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%2020: 33.3% of 3 decisions33.3%20202021: 5.2% of 77 decisions5.2%20212022: 10.5% of 114 decisions10.5%20222023: 3.4% of 88 decisions3.4%20232024: 2.4% of 123 decisions2.4%20242025: 1.1% of 185 decisions1.1%20252026 (partial year): 0% of 64 decisions0%2026*
* 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).
Houston, TX · home court
10,330 (97%)
182 (1.7%)
25 (0.24%)
12 (0.11%)
8 (0.08%)
4 (0.04%)