Appointed June 2016 · President Barack Obama→ Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch
10 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Democratic administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Georgina M Picos earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1987 from Florida International University and a Juris Doctor in 1991 from St. Thomas University School of Law. From 1994 to 2016, she served as an assistant chief counsel for the Office of the Chief Counsel, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security. From 1992 to 1994, she was an associate attorney at the Law Offices of Magda Montiel Davis PA in Miami, and from 1991 to 1992 she served as a judicial law clerk at the Miami Immigration Court through the Attorney General's Honors Program. She is a member of the Florida Bar.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
1,206
Completions per year
7,238 total
10.5%
Detained at decision
share of cases
11.2 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
21.8%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
7.7%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
3.5%
Appeals remanded or reversed
86 appeals decided
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
12%
607 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
1.4%
937 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
37.8%
74 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
22.2%⚠
9 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
81.5%⚠
27 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
73.9%
138 decisions Moderate
12%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 607 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
12%
This court
10.4%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the bottom 24% 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 · 545 decisions since 2021
13.2%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 62 decisions since 2021
1.6%
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).