Appointed February 2017 · President Barack Obama→ Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch
9 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Democratic administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Ila C Deiss earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1991 from the University of California at Davis, a Master of Public Administration in 1996 from the New York University Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, and a Juris Doctor in 1999 from the City University of New York School of Law. She held various judicial clerkships and served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Northern District of California from 2005 to 2017. She is a member of the Connecticut and New York state bars.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
1,135
Completions per year
6,811 total
1.6%
Detained at decision
share of cases
45.9 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
4.9%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
2.8%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
53.6%
Appeals remanded or reversed
28 appeals decided
Bond decisions
Custody redetermination (bond) rulings since 2021.
"Granted" means the judge lowered the bond, ordered release on recognizance, or otherwise granted the request.
100%⚠
Bond requests granted
3 bond decisions Too few cases
$3,000
Median bond when set
3 bonds with amounts
0%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 100%
Court average 26.3% · median $4,000
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
92.1%
1,655 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
18.8%
266 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
98.1%
416 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
80%⚠
5 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
100%
108 decisions Moderate
Voluntary departure
100%
71 decisions Moderate
92.1%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 1,655 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
92.1%
This court
68.2%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 1% 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 · 1,629 decisions since 2021
92.6%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 26 decisions since 2021
61.5%
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).