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 Patrick M Mckenna earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1998 from DePauw University and a Juris Doctor in 2001 from the University of Notre Dame Law School. He was an associate at Eichorn and Eichorn in Hammond, Indiana, from 2001 to 2002 and an assistant state's attorney with the Will County State's Attorney's Office in Joliet, Illinois, from 2002 to 2006. From 2006 to 2018, he served as an assistant chief counsel and associate legal advisor with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Chicago and Washington, D.C. He is a member of the Illinois and Indiana State Bars.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
1,662
Completions per year
9,973 total
1.9%
Detained at decision
share of cases
29.2 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
33.6%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
6.5%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
6.9%
Appeals remanded or reversed
58 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.
33.3%⚠
Bond requests granted
6 bond decisions Too few cases
$12,500
Median bond when set
1 bonds with amounts
0%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 33.3%
Court average 56.1% · median $3,500
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
38.2%
1,082 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
3.7%
1,036 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
59.2%
76 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
100%⚠
4 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
97.5%⚠
40 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
87.1%
132 decisions Moderate
38.2%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 1,082 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
38.2%
This court
45.7%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 32% 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 · 964 decisions since 2021
42.3%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 118 decisions since 2021
4.2%
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).