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 John DeCure earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1981 from California State University, Fullerton, and a Juris Doctor in 1990 from Southwestern Law School. He served as an appeals referee with the Connecticut Department of Labor (2020-2022), as an administrative law judge with the California Office of Administrative Hearings (2014-2020), as a deputy attorney general with the California Department of Justice (1999-2014), as deputy trial counsel with the State Bar of California (1993-1998), and as a staff attorney with Los Angeles County Dependency Court Legal Services (1991-1993).
Caseload & process (since 2021)
1,013
Completions per year
6,078 total
3.1%
Detained at decision
share of cases
12.8 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
22.9%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
10.9%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
15.9%
Appeals remanded or reversed
370 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.
45.5%⚠
Bond requests granted
11 bond decisions Too few cases
$7,500
Median bond when set
5 bonds with amounts
0%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 45.5%
Court average 35.8% · 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
24.9%
1,186 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
1.2%
1,714 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
11.1%⚠
9 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
100%⚠
3 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
89.3%
56 decisions Moderate
24.9%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 1,186 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
24.9%
This court
37.1%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the bottom 49% 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 · 951 decisions since 2021
28.5%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 235 decisions since 2021
10.2%
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).