Alberto J. Riefkohl

Immigration Judge, Newark Immigration Court. Appointed March 1995.

LenientGrants more often than the national average-15.8 points

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

Judge Riefkohl47.1%

Newark court70.3%

All judges nationally62.9%

Decisions on the merits: 832
Asylum granted: 340
Other relief granted: 100
Denied: 392
Against own court: -23.2 pts

Denial rate by fiscal year
FY22	FY23	FY24	FY25	FY26
14%	9%	6%	11%	94%

Read from TRAC's chart to the nearest point. Years with fewer than 25 decisions are not shown.

Docket

Respondents represented by counsel: 89% (nationally, 81% are represented).

Most common nationalities: Ecuador (26.1%), Brazil (18.5%), Colombia (11.7%), Guatemala (7.1%), Honduras (6.5%).

Official biography

Judge Riefkohl was appointed as an Immigration Judge in March 1995. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1968, and a Juris Doctorate in 1974, both from the University of Puerto Rico. From 1994 to 1995, he worked as a partner in the law firm Riefkohl & Riefkohl, and from 1979 to 1994, he was a partner with Lebenkoff & Coven, both in New York. From 1975 to 1979, he served as a general attorney in the Litigation Division for the former Immigration and Naturalization Service, also in New York. Judge Riefkohl served in the U.S. Air Force (National Guard) from 1968 to 1974. He is a member of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Bar.

As published by the Executive Office for Immigration Review at appointment, via TRAC.

In the record

No published reporting or appellate decisions naming this judge have been collected yet.

Other judges at Newark

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About these figures. Denial rates describe outcomes in the cases a judge happened to hear, which differ by detention, nationality and representation. They are not a measure of fairness or competence. Method and sources are on the judges index.