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 Judith F. Bonilla earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2000 from St. Mary's University and a Juris Doctor in 2004 from the University of Chicago Law School. She was an associate attorney at Holland & Knight LLP in Washington, D.C. from 2004 to 2009, and from 2011 to 2020 she served as an assistant chief counsel with the Office of the Chief Counsel at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in El Paso, Texas. She is a member of the District of Columbia Bar and the Maryland State Bar.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
2,159
Completions per year
12,954 total
8.4%
Detained at decision
share of cases
11 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
15.3%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
1%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
14.3%
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.
0%⚠
Bond requests granted
3 bond decisions Too few cases
$11,500
Median bond when set
6 bonds with amounts
—
Released on own recognizance
This judge 0%
Court average 0%
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
37.2%
323 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
6.8%
367 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
56.2%⚠
16 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
100%⚠
10 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
98.5%
68 decisions Moderate
Voluntary departure
95.7%
70 decisions Moderate
37.2%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 323 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
37.2%
This court
18.9%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 33% 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 · 247 decisions since 2021
47%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 76 decisions since 2021
5.3%
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).