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 Oshea Spencer earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1994 from the University of Texas and a Juris Doctor in 1997 from the University of Texas at Austin School of Law. In 2018 she was an attorney for the Public Utility Commission of Texas in Austin; from 2005 to 2018 she was an associate municipal court judge in Baytown, Texas; from 2003 to 2013 she was an assistant district attorney in Richmond, Texas; from 2000 to 2002 she was director of scholarship management for NACME, Inc. in New York; and from 1997 to 2000 she was an assistant district attorney in the Bronx, New York. She is a member of the New York State Bar and the State Bar of Texas.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
1,298
Completions per year
7,790 total
7.7%
Detained at decision
share of cases
16.6 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
26.5%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
6.9%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
6.8%
Appeals remanded or reversed
44 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.
13.8%⚠
Bond requests granted
29 bond decisions Too few cases
$7,500
Median bond when set
4 bonds with amounts
0%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 13.8%
Court average 48.8% · median $7,500
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
3.6%
557 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
0.9%
1,086 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
21.4%
70 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
88.9%⚠
9 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
84.8%⚠
46 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
72.9%
70 decisions Moderate
3.6%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 557 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
3.6%
This court
6.8%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the bottom 5% 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 · 424 decisions since 2021
4%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 133 decisions since 2021
2.3%
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).