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 Sarah F. Torres earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2004 from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Juris Doctor in 2007 from the University of California, Davis, School of Law. From 2019 to 2024, she was the managing attorney of the immigration legal services program at Opening Doors Inc. in Sacramento, and from 2015 to 2019 she was a partner at Tomlinson & Torres PC. She engaged in private immigration law practice from 2008 to 2014. She is a member of the State Bar of California.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
415
Completions per year
2,492 total
6.7%
Detained at decision
share of cases
16.3 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
28.6%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
11.7%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
—
Appeals remanded or reversed
only 14 appeals — too few
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
48.6%
551 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
8.2%
534 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
40%⚠
10 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
0%⚠
2 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
100%⚠
1 decision Too few cases
Voluntary departure
90.3%⚠
31 decisions Too few cases
48.6%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 551 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
48.6%
This court
57.1%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the top 20% 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 · 525 decisions since 2021
50.5%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 26 decisions since 2021
11.5%
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).