Location: New York Immigration Court Years Active at New York Immigration Court: 2015 - 2020 Background - Judge Laforest received an undergraduate degree in 1981 from Princeton University and a Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University Law Center in 1987. From 1987 to 1993, Judge Laforest worked as a staff attorney at the Brooklyn Neighborhood Office, Immigration Unit, Legal Aid Society, in Brooklyn. Concurrently, from 1988 to 1992, she also served as a coordinator for the Citywide Immigrants' Rights Project in New York. From 1993 to 1995 Judge Laforest worked as a staff attorney at the Civil Appeals and Law Reform Unit, Legal Aid Society, New York. From 1995 to 1996, she served as assistant director of student affairs at Fordham University School of Law. In 1996 until 1997 Judge Laforest returned to her previous vocation as a staff attorney at the Civil Appeals and Law Reform Unit, Legal Aid Society, New York. Judge Laforest was appointed as an Immigration Judge in April 1997. She is a member of the New York Bar. Deciding Asylum Cases Total Cases: 1901 Claims Granted: 1471 (77%) vs NY Local 67.6% vs National 33.3% Conditional: 0 Claims Denied: 430 (23%) vs NY Local 32.4% vs National 66.7% Comparison to Other Judges: Judge Laforest granted 9.4% more cases than the local average and 43.7% more than the national average, placing her as 38th out 526 in cases granted, placing her in the top 7.3% of all judges in granting case claims. Breakdown of Asylum Nationalities: China - 49.8% India - 8% Nepal - 6.7% El Salvador - 4.8% Ecuador - 3.3% Others - 27.4%