The Honorable Immigration Judge Drew T Nishiyama
Imperial, CA Immigration Court
Appointed February 2026 · President Donald Trump → Attorney General Pamela Bondi
Less than a year on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Republican administration
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Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Drew T. Nishiyama earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2002 from Muhlenberg College and a Juris Doctor in 2009 from the University of Missouri School of Law. He served as a staff member for Representative Trent Franks of Arizona (2010-2013) and as a judge advocate with the U.S. Air Force at Keesler Air Force Base (2013-2017), the Wisconsin Air National Guard (2017-2019), and the U.S. Air Force Reserves JAG Corps at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington (2019-2026). He also worked as an attorney with the Washington State Office of the Attorney General (2020-2024), the Department of Veterans Affairs (2024), and in private practice in Bellingham, Washington.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
230
Completions per year
230 total
77.4%
Detained at decision
share of cases
5.7 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
2.6%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
30.4%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
—
Appeals remanded or reversed
only 4 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.
0%⚠
Bond requests granted
3 bond decisions Too few cases
$35,000
Median bond when set
1 bonds with amounts
—
Released on own recognizance
This judge 0%
Court average 87% · 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 | |
7% |
57 decisions Moderate |
| Withholding / CAT | |
2.9% |
104 decisions Moderate |
| Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR) | |
0%⚠ |
23 decisions Too few cases |
| Cancellation — 42A (LPR) | |
0%⚠ |
4 decisions Too few cases |
| Adjustment of status (245) | |
66.7%⚠ |
3 decisions Too few cases |
| Voluntary departure | |
66%⚠ |
47 decisions Too few cases |
7%
of asylum claims granted on the merits Moderate
Based on 57 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
0%100% granted
In the bottom 11% 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 lawyer⚠represented · 34 decisions since 2021
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 23 decisions since 2021
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).