The Honorable Immigration Judge Donald W. Thompson Jr.
New York — Federal Plaza, NY Immigration Court
Appointed April 2017 · President Donald Trump→ Attorney General Jeff Sessions
9 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Republican administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Donald W. Thompson, Jr. earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2003 from the College of New Jersey and a Juris Doctor in 2006 from Seton Hall University School of Law. He clerked for the Honorable Estela De La Cruz of the New Jersey Superior Court from 2006 to 2007. From September 2007 until his judicial appointment, he served as an assistant chief counsel for the Office of Chief Counsel, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, DHS, in San Francisco and New York. He is a member of the New York and New Jersey State Bars.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
1,168
Completions per year
7,009 total
1.7%
Detained at decision
share of cases
24.5 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
20.5%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
6.7%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
21.1%
Appeals remanded or reversed
38 appeals decided
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
56.4%
1,388 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
3.6%
880 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
94.5%
127 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
100%⚠
3 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
97%
100 decisions Moderate
Voluntary departure
100%
50 decisions Moderate
56.4%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 1,388 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
56.4%
This court
57.3%
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 · 1,265 decisions since 2021
61.3%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 123 decisions since 2021
5.7%
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).