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 Roel Canales earned a Bachelor of Finance in 1997 and a Master of Business Administration in 2000 from Texas A&M International University and a Juris Doctor in 2006 from Thurgood Marshall School of Law. From 2017 to 2021 he was in private practice in Laredo, Texas; from 2013 to 2017 he served as an associate county court at law judge in Webb County, Texas; from 2010 to 2013 he was an assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Texas in Laredo; and from 2007 to 2010 he was in private practice in Laredo. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
831
Completions per year
4,988 total
21.4%
Detained at decision
share of cases
3 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
23.4%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
4.6%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
44.7%
Appeals remanded or reversed
76 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.
48.9%
Bond requests granted
133 bond decisions Moderate
$5,000
Median bond when set
55 bonds with amounts
0%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 48.9%
Court average 43% · median $10,000
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
9.3%
312 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
2.8%
536 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
12.8%⚠
47 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
60%⚠
5 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
88.9%⚠
9 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
92%
100 decisions Moderate
9.3%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 312 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
9.3%
This court
22.2%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the bottom 17% 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 · 182 decisions since 2021
15.4%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 130 decisions since 2021
0.8%
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).