Appointed November 2006 · President George W. Bush→ Attorney General Alberto Gonzales(AG inferred from date)
19 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Republican administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Mimi Tsankov earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1986 from James Madison University, a Master of Arts in 1990 from the University of Virginia, and a Juris Doctor in 1990 from the University of Virginia School of Law. She served as an asylum officer with the INS in New York (1994-1995) and as an assistant district counsel for the INS in New York (1995-1998), including a period as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. She practiced law privately in San Diego and Los Angeles from 2001 to 2006, following earlier work as an attorney advisor with the Peace Corps Office of Inspector General in Washington, D.C. Judge Tsankov is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia, and New York.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
841
Completions per year
5,045 total
6.2%
Detained at decision
share of cases
14.2 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
22.1%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
1.3%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
—
Appeals remanded or reversed
only 11 appeals — too few
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
87.8%
654 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
13.6%
147 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
100%⚠
5 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
100%⚠
1 decision Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
97.6%⚠
42 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
100%⚠
5 decisions Too few cases
87.8%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 654 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
87.8%
This court
57.3%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 2% 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 · 641 decisions since 2021
88.5%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 13 decisions since 2021
53.8%
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).