Appointed September 2017 · President Donald Trump→ Attorney General Jeff Sessions
8 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Republican administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Marcos Gemoets earned a Bachelor of Science in 1999 from Georgetown University and a Juris Doctor in 2002 from St. Mary's University School of Law. From 2011 to 2017, he practiced at the Law Office of Marcos Gemoets PC in Houston. From 2007 to 2011, he was a senior attorney at AzulaySeiden Law Group in Chicago, and from 2006 to 2007 a senior policy analyst for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. From 2003 to 2006, he served as attorney and director of immigration services for Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of San Antonio. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
1,144
Completions per year
6,861 total
1%
Detained at decision
share of cases
17.1 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
28%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
10.9%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
3.1%
Appeals remanded or reversed
163 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
1 bond decision Too few cases
—
Median bond when set
—
Released on own recognizance
This judge 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
7.8%
701 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
1.5%
1,266 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
14.8%
122 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
53.3%⚠
15 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
76.2%
63 decisions Moderate
Voluntary departure
68.9%
148 decisions Moderate
7.8%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 701 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
7.8%
This court
10.4%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the bottom 13% 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 · 562 decisions since 2021
9.1%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 139 decisions since 2021
2.9%
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.
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).