Source: EOIR — Find an Immigration Court.
Recording an internet-based hearing is prohibited (8 C.F.R. § 1003.28). Respondents without a representative default to in-person hearings.
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Ivan E Gardzelewski earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2000 from Augustana College and a Juris Doctor in 2004 from the University of Oregon School of Law. He served as a municipal prosecutor for the Lakewood City Attorney's Office (2004-2007) and as a deputy district attorney in Colorado's Fifth Judicial District. From 2007 to September 2016 he served as an assistant chief counsel with the Office of the Chief Counsel, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security, in Denver, including a detail as a special assistant U.S. attorney. He is a member of the Colorado Bar.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
1,804
Completions per year
10,826 total
11.1%
Detained at decision
share of cases
14.9 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
35.1%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
4%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
4.4%
Appeals remanded or reversed
227 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.
61.1%
Bond requests granted
216 bond decisions High confidence
$8,000
Median bond when set
151 bonds with amounts
0.8%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 61.1%
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
29.8%
654 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
2.5%
788 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
65.1%
129 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
50%⚠
4 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
96.7%
61 decisions Moderate
Voluntary departure
97.3%
483 decisions High confidence
29.8%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 654 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
29.8%
This court
36.1%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 45% 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 · 366 decisions since 2021
43.4%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 288 decisions since 2021
12.5%
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).