The Honorable Immigration Judge Lincoln S Jalelian
Boston, MA Immigration Court
Appointed May 2019 · President Donald Trump→ Attorney General William P. Barr
7 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Republican administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Lincoln S Jalelian was sworn in as an immigration judge at the Boston Immigration Court on May 10, 2019. He earned his Juris Doctor from Boston University School of Law in 1992. Before taking the bench he worked as both a state and federal prosecutor and then served for roughly a decade as an attorney for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
121
Completions per year
121 total
1.7%
Detained at decision
share of cases
21.8 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
17.1%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
10.7%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
—
Appeals remanded or reversed
only 7 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
1 bond decision Too few cases
—
Median bond when set
—
Released on own recognizance
This judge 0%
Court average 26.6% · median $6,000
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
50%⚠
20 decisions Too few cases
Withholding / CAT
5.9%⚠
17 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
0%⚠
2 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
100%⚠
8 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
66.7%⚠
3 decisions Too few cases
50%⚠
of asylum claims granted on the merits
Based on 20 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021. Fewer than 50 — treat this figure with caution.
This judge
50%
This court
45.6%
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 · 20 decisions since 2021
50%
Without a lawyerunrepresented
no data
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.
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).