Appointed May 2024 · President Joe Biden→ Attorney General Merrick Garland
2 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Democratic administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Roopal Patel earned a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University in 2003 and a Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law in 2011. She served as a staff attorney at the Brennan Center for Justice (2011-2013) and as a senior staff attorney at Manhattan Legal Services (2014-2024). Attorney General Merrick B. Garland appointed her to the Boston Immigration Court in May 2024.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
732
Completions per year
4,389 total
4.5%
Detained at decision
share of cases
28.9 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
9.5%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
10.3%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
15%
Appeals remanded or reversed
266 appeals decided
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
40%
783 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
0.9%
851 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
27.3%⚠
11 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
100%⚠
14 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
97.2%
106 decisions Moderate
40%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 783 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
40%
This court
45.6%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 30% 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 · 740 decisions since 2021
41.1%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 43 decisions since 2021
20.9%
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).