The Honorable Immigration Judge Jonathan Masaji Brent
Adelanto, CA Immigration Court
Appointed March 2026 · President Donald Trump → Attorney General Pamela Bondi
Less than a year on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Republican administration
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Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Jonathan Masaji Brent earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2005 from the University of Southern California, a Juris Doctor in 2010 from the University of Virginia School of Law, and a Master of Divinity in 2025 from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. From 2016 to 2026, he served as a general attorney, senior attorney, and deputy assistant chief counsel with the Office of Chief Counsel, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, DHS, in El Paso, Texas, and Long Beach, California. From 2011 to 2015, he served as a judge advocate with the U.S. Army at Fort Bliss, Texas, and he holds the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Texas Army National Guard. He is a member of the State Bar of California and the State Bar of Texas.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
41
Completions per year
244 total
25.4%
Detained at decision
share of cases
19.3 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
4.3%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
11.1%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
—
Appeals remanded or reversed
only 0 appeals — too few
Bond decisions
Custody redetermination (bond) rulings since 2021.
"Granted" means the judge lowered the bond, ordered release on recognizance, or otherwise granted the request.
0%⚠
Bond requests granted
30 bond decisions Too few cases
$10,000
Median bond when set
20 bonds with amounts
—
Released on own recognizance
This judge 0%
Court average 23.7% · median $9,000
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
| Asylum | |
23% |
61 decisions Moderate |
| Withholding / CAT | |
1.3% |
78 decisions Moderate |
| Cancellation — 42A (LPR) | |
0%⚠ |
1 decision Too few cases |
| Adjustment of status (245) | |
100%⚠ |
1 decision Too few cases |
| Voluntary departure | |
81.2%⚠ |
32 decisions Too few cases |
23%
of asylum claims granted on the merits Moderate
Based on 61 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
0%100% granted
In the bottom 46% 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 · 54 decisions since 2021
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 7 decisions since 2021
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).