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 James Crofts earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1991 from Boston University and a Juris Doctor in 1999 from St. John's University School of Law. From 2016 to 2019 he served as assistant chief counsel with the Office of the Chief Counsel, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in Atlanta. From 2000 to 2016 he was an assistant district attorney with the Bronx District Attorney's Office in New York, and he has served as a judge advocate in the U.S. Army Reserve since 2012.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
961
Completions per year
5,765 total
34.7%
Detained at decision
share of cases
7.1 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
27%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
3.4%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
34.1%
Appeals remanded or reversed
44 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.
26.3%
Bond requests granted
487 bond decisions High confidence
$10,000
Median bond when set
153 bonds with amounts
7%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 26.3%
Court average 51.3% · median $7,500
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
2.3%
257 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
1.6%
509 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
4%
50 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
0%⚠
11 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
83.3%⚠
6 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
81.2%
330 decisions High confidence
2.3%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 257 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
2.3%
This court
10.5%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the bottom 3% 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 · 154 decisions since 2021
3.9%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 103 decisions since 2021
0%
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).