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 Kevin N. Buras earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1991 from the University of Texas at Austin and a Juris Doctor in 2001 from South Texas College of Law Houston. From 2019 to 2025, he served as an assistant chief counsel with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Houston, where he was a national security designated attorney, and from 2011 to 2019 as an asylum officer and senior asylum officer at the Houston Asylum Office, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. He deployed twice to Afghanistan as an Army engineer and retired from the Army Reserve as a colonel in 2020. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
207
Completions per year
622 total
93.7%
Detained at decision
share of cases
2.3 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
0%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
10.9%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
—
Appeals remanded or reversed
only 5 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.
30%
Bond requests granted
60 bond decisions Moderate
$30,000
Median bond when set
20 bonds with amounts
0%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 30%
Court average 58.7% · median $8,000
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
0%⚠
34 decisions Too few cases
Withholding / CAT
0%
80 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
0%
54 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
0%⚠
2 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
12.5%⚠
8 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
82.5%
183 decisions Moderate
0%⚠
of asylum claims granted on the merits
Based on 34 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021. Fewer than 50 — treat this figure with caution.
This judge
0%
This court
12.4%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
Does a lawyer matter here?
Asylum grant rate by whether the person had legal representation.
With a lawyer⚠represented · 27 decisions since 2021
0%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 7 decisions since 2021
0%
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).