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 Michael M Neal earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2011 from the University of Florida and a Juris Doctor in 2014 from the University of Florida Levin College of Law. From 2021 to 2024 he was an immigration legal services advisor at the International Rescue Committee in Miami, and from 2018 to 2021 an assistant federal public defender in El Paso, Texas. He previously served as an associate counsel at the Board of Veterans' Appeals and as an assistant public defender in Polk County, Florida. He is a member of the Florida Bar and the State Bar of Texas.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
912
Completions per year
5,473 total
19.5%
Detained at decision
share of cases
23.3 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
18.6%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
6.9%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
17.6%
Appeals remanded or reversed
51 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.
42.3%
Bond requests granted
97 bond decisions Moderate
$8,000
Median bond when set
37 bonds with amounts
0%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 42.3%
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
7.4%
567 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
1.7%
945 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
38.6%
101 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
50%⚠
6 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
63.6%⚠
11 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
94.9%
394 decisions High confidence
7.4%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 567 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
7.4%
This court
19.9%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the bottom 12% 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 · 501 decisions since 2021
8.4%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 66 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).