Appointed September 2006 · President George W. Bush→ Attorney General Alberto Gonzales(AG inferred from date)
19 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Republican administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Roger F. Sagerman earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1988 from Tufts University and a Juris Doctor in 1993 from the University of Buffalo, and also received a certificate in strategic intelligence in 2003 from the Joint Military Intelligence College. From 1996 to 1998, he served as an assistant district counsel for the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) in Napanoch and Fishkill, New York. From 1998 to 2006, he held various positions at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the former INS in Washington, D.C., including Chief of the Enforcement Law Division, appellate counsel, and an associate general counsel. He was appointed as an immigration judge in September 2006 and is a member of the New York and Colorado bars.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
431
Completions per year
2,587 total
36.3%
Detained at decision
share of cases
13.8 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
1.5%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
9.1%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
10.4%
Appeals remanded or reversed
125 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.
81%⚠
Bond requests granted
21 bond decisions Too few cases
$5,000
Median bond when set
17 bonds with amounts
0%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 81%
Court average 35.8% · median $7,500
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
25.9%
216 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
12.3%
463 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
33.3%⚠
12 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
20%⚠
5 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
66.7%⚠
9 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
81.8%⚠
11 decisions Too few cases
25.9%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 216 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
25.9%
This court
37.1%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 50% 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 · 206 decisions since 2021
27.2%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 10 decisions since 2021
0%
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.
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).