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 Sandra J Santos-Garcia earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1998 and a Juris Doctor in 2001, both from the University of California, Berkeley. From 2010 to 2016, she served as a senior attorney for the Office of the Chief Counsel, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security, and from 2001 to 2010 as an assistant chief counsel for the same office. She is a member of the State Bars of Arizona and California.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
1,251
Completions per year
7,506 total
3.8%
Detained at decision
share of cases
22.1 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
22.2%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
7.8%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
14.5%
Appeals remanded or reversed
124 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.
12.5%⚠
Bond requests granted
32 bond decisions Too few cases
$7,500
Median bond when set
4 bonds with amounts
0%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 12.5%
Court average 50% · 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
36.1%
932 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
2%
928 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
23.3%
86 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
80%⚠
15 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
73.5%⚠
49 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
82.9%
146 decisions Moderate
36.1%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 932 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
36.1%
This court
32.2%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 34% 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 · 904 decisions since 2021
36.6%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 28 decisions since 2021
17.9%
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).