Appointed May 2010 · President Barack Obama→ Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.(AG inferred from date)
16 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Democratic administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Randa Zagzoug earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1986 from the College of Staten Island and a Juris Doctor in 1990 from Seton Hall University School of Law. From 1995 to April 2010, she served as an attorney for the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. From 1991 to 1993, she served as a supervisory asylum officer and acting director for the former Immigration and Naturalization Service in Lyndhurst, New Jersey. Judge Zagzoug is a member of the New York State Bar and the New Jersey State Bar.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
1,124
Completions per year
6,744 total
2.6%
Detained at decision
share of cases
20 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
26.3%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
2.3%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
0%
Appeals remanded or reversed
25 appeals decided
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
81.3%
991 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
9.7%
352 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
84.2%
76 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
85.7%⚠
7 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
97.1%
103 decisions Moderate
Voluntary departure
100%⚠
16 decisions Too few cases
81.3%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 991 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
81.3%
This court
57.3%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 4% 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 · 948 decisions since 2021
83.2%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 43 decisions since 2021
39.5%
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).