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 Pedro J Espinal earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2001 from the University of Puerto Rico and a Juris Doctor in 2004 from the University of Puerto Rico School of Law. Before his appointment, he served as deputy chief counsel (2016-2019) and assistant chief counsel (2011-2016) for ICE's Office of the Principal Legal Advisor in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He earlier worked as an adjudications officer for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and in private practice, and is a member of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Bar.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
1,770
Completions per year
10,620 total
66.9%
Detained at decision
share of cases
1.3 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
5.5%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
2.9%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
26.6%
Appeals remanded or reversed
64 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.
76.5%
Bond requests granted
1,477 bond decisions High confidence
$5,000
Median bond when set
1,067 bonds with amounts
0.3%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 76.5%
Court average 71.7% · 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
13%
400 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
3.6%
644 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
24.1%
58 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
36.8%⚠
19 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
61.3%⚠
31 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
76.3%
838 decisions High confidence
13%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 400 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
13%
This court
22.4%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the bottom 26% 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 · 302 decisions since 2021
14.9%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 98 decisions since 2021
7.1%
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).