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 Mario J Sturla earned a Bachelor of Arts from Brown University in 2003 and a Juris Doctor from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University in 2006. He served as a judicial law clerk at the New York City Immigration Court (2006-2007) and as a staff attorney in the Office of Legal Affairs at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (2007-2008). From 2008 to 2016 he worked in the ICE Office of Chief Counsel in Boston, rising to deputy chief counsel. Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch appointed him to the Boston Immigration Court in September 2016.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
1,946
Completions per year
11,673 total
6.6%
Detained at decision
share of cases
22.8 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
20.9%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
8.4%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
2.7%
Appeals remanded or reversed
714 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
3 bond decisions 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
34.4%
1,654 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
4.3%
1,778 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
73.7%
99 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
100%⚠
4 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
98.9%
189 decisions Moderate
Voluntary departure
94.1%
341 decisions High confidence
34.4%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 1,654 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
34.4%
This court
45.6%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 37% 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 · 1,586 decisions since 2021
34.2%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 68 decisions since 2021
38.2%
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).