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 Ramin Rastegar received a Bachelor of Science in 1991 from George Mason University and a Juris Doctor in 1995 from New York Law School. From 2000 to 2015 he served as an assistant chief counsel in the Office of the Chief Counsel, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security, in New York. Earlier he was an associate at Barst and Mukamal LLP and at the Law Offices of Ronald Salomon in New York. He is a member of the Connecticut and New York Bars.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
2,054
Completions per year
12,323 total
16.3%
Detained at decision
share of cases
21.7 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
18.3%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
2.7%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
7.7%
Appeals remanded or reversed
181 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.
36.5%
Bond requests granted
288 bond decisions High confidence
$8,500
Median bond when set
25 bonds with amounts
1%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 36.5%
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
21.1%
532 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
8%
802 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
70.4%
186 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
83.3%⚠
6 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
91.5%⚠
47 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
97.4%
587 decisions High confidence
21.1%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 532 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
21.1%
This court
19.9%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the bottom 42% 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 · 408 decisions since 2021
23.8%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 124 decisions since 2021
12.1%
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).