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 Roberto Amaya earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1998 from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Juris Doctor in 2001 from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, in San Francisco. From 2006 to 2022, he was in private practice at the Law Offices of Roberto K. Amaya in Lancaster and Panorama City, California. From 2003 to 2006, he was an associate attorney with the Law Offices of Alma Rosa Nieto in Los Angeles, and in 2002 he was an associate attorney with the Law Offices of Edgardo Quintanilla in Sherman Oaks, California. He is a member of the State Bar of California.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
1,078
Completions per year
6,469 total
3.8%
Detained at decision
share of cases
10.9 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
25.6%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
10.2%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
8.6%
Appeals remanded or reversed
222 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.
5.3%
Bond requests granted
94 bond decisions Moderate
$7,500
Median bond when set
68 bonds with amounts
0%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 5.3%
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
12.7%
734 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
1.9%
1,117 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
0%⚠
8 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
100%⚠
4 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
88.2%⚠
17 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
89%
118 decisions Moderate
12.7%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 734 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
12.7%
This court
19.1%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the bottom 25% 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 · 699 decisions since 2021
13.2%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 35 decisions since 2021
2.9%
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).