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 Wilbur Lee earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1994 from the University of California, Irvine; a Juris Doctor in 1997 from the Southwestern University School of Law; and a Master of Laws in 2010 from the Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School. From 1998 to 2020, he served as a judge advocate in the U.S. Marine Corps in locations including Iwakuni and Okinawa, Japan; Arlington, Virginia; Jacksonville, North Carolina; Oceanside and San Diego, California; and Oahu, Hawaii, holding positions including defense counsel, appellate counsel, supervisory prosecutor, staff judge advocate, and military judge. He is a member of the California State Bar.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
939
Completions per year
5,634 total
0.6%
Detained at decision
share of cases
17.3 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
21.6%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
12%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
7.4%
Appeals remanded or reversed
68 appeals decided
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
11.9%
851 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
2.1%
1,313 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
37.5%⚠
32 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
76.5%⚠
17 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
92.9%⚠
42 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
90.8%
87 decisions Moderate
11.9%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 851 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
11.9%
This court
19.1%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the bottom 23% 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 · 796 decisions since 2021
12.3%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 55 decisions since 2021
5.5%
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).