The Honorable Immigration Judge ZAHRA JIVANI FENELON
Houston, TX Immigration Court
Appointed August 2023 · President Joe Biden→ Attorney General Merrick Garland
3 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Democratic administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Zahra Jivani Fenelon earned a Bachelor of Science in 2003 from Houston Baptist University and a Juris Doctor in 2006 from South Texas College of Law. From 2015 to 2023 she served as an assistant chief counsel with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Denver, and from 2006 to 2015 she was an assistant district attorney at the Fort Bend County District Attorney's Office, where she prosecuted felony crimes. She is a member of the State Bar of Texas.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
705
Completions per year
3,523 total
1.6%
Detained at decision
share of cases
8.4 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
32%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
9.4%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
0%
Appeals remanded or reversed
31 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.
50%⚠
Bond requests granted
2 bond decisions Too few cases
$10,000
Median bond when set
1 bonds with amounts
0%
Released on own recognizance
This judge 50%
National 41.9% · median $6,500
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
6%
365 decisions High confidence
Withholding / CAT
0.3%
681 decisions High confidence
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
0%⚠
12 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
100%⚠
3 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
77.8%⚠
9 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
93.1%⚠
29 decisions Too few cases
6%
of asylum claims granted on the merits High confidence
Based on 365 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
6%
This court
10.4%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the bottom 9% 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 · 292 decisions since 2021
5.5%
Without a lawyerunrepresented · 73 decisions since 2021
8.2%
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).