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 Karen Marquez-Casillas earned a Bachelor of Arts in finance in 1998 from the University of Puerto Rico and a Juris Doctor in 2002 from the University of Puerto Rico School of Law. From 2014 to 2024 she served as an assistant chief counsel with the ICE Office of the Principal Legal Advisor in locations including El Paso, Miami, and Washington, D.C. Earlier she practiced immigration and civil litigation in Texas and Puerto Rico and directed corporate legal divisions.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
468
Completions per year
2,342 total
1%
Detained at decision
share of cases
25.1 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
35%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
18.1%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
—
Appeals remanded or reversed
only 3 appeals — too few
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
12.8%
478 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
3.5%
792 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
0%⚠
16 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
50%⚠
2 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
100%⚠
2 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
95.9%
121 decisions Moderate
12.8%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 478 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
12.8%
This court
26.2%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the bottom 26% 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 · 425 decisions since 2021
13.4%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 53 decisions since 2021
7.5%
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).