Appointed May 1997 · President Bill Clinton→ Attorney General Janet Reno(AG inferred from date)
29 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Democratic administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Helen Sichel earned an undergraduate degree in 1976 from Swarthmore College and a Juris Doctor in 1983 from Brooklyn Law School. Before her appointment, she was in private practice in New York (1983-1988), served as an associate attorney at the Law Offices of Erwin L. Atkins (1988-1990), and was a senior associate at Fragomen, Del Rey & Bernsen, P.C. in New York (1990-1997).
Caseload & process (since 2021)
6
Completions per year
6 total
33.3%
Detained at decision
share of cases
39.1 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
16.7%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
0%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
—
Appeals remanded or reversed
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
0%⚠
1 decision Too few cases
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
0%⚠
1 decision Too few cases
0%⚠
of asylum claims granted on the merits
Based on 1 asylum decision (grants + denials) since 2021. Fewer than 50 — treat this figure with caution.
This judge
0%
This court
57.3%
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 · 1 decision since 2021
0%
Without a lawyerunrepresented
no data
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).