Appointed October 2016 · President Barack Obama→ Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch
9 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Democratic administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Kerri Calcador earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1994 and a Juris Doctor in 1997, both from the University of San Diego. She held multiple roles as an assistant chief counsel and senior attorney with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Los Angeles and San Diego, and served as an assistant district counsel with the Immigration and Naturalization Service. From 2006 to 2007 she served as a special assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of California, and from 2007 to October 2016 she was a senior attorney for the Office of the Chief Counsel, ICE, in San Diego. She is a member of the State Bar of California.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
1,187
Completions per year
7,121 total
2%
Detained at decision
share of cases
12.7 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
31.1%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
3.3%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
5.7%
Appeals remanded or reversed
158 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.
52.9%
Bond requests granted
51 bond decisions Moderate
$10,000
Median bond when set
28 bonds with amounts
0%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 52.9%
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%
361 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
4.4%
503 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
71.7%
127 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
75%⚠
4 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
97.9%
141 decisions Moderate
Voluntary departure
83.8%
117 decisions Moderate
23%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 361 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
23%
This court
36.1%
National average
31.8%
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 · 219 decisions since 2021
34.7%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 142 decisions since 2021
4.9%
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).