Arlene E. Dorfman

Immigration Judge, Los Angeles-Van Nuys Boulevard Immigration Court. Appointed July 2011 by Eric Holder.

AverageClose to the national average-3.1 points

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

Judge Dorfman59.8%

Van Nuys court60.4%

All judges nationally62.9%

Decisions on the merits: 960
Asylum granted: 336
Other relief granted: 50
Denied: 574
Against own court: -0.6 pts

Denial rate by fiscal year
FY21	FY22	FY23	FY24	FY25	FY26
60%	18%	18%	15%	56%	94%

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

Docket

Respondents represented by counsel: 93% (nationally, 81% are represented).

Most common nationalities: Mexico (19%), Guatemala (12.6%), El Salvador (12%), Armenia (11.9%), India (7.4%).

Official biography

Attorney General Eric Holder appointed Judge Dorfman in July 2011. Judge Dorfman received a bachelor of arts degree in 1996 from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a juris doctorate in 2000 from Loyola Law School. From 2009 to 2011, she served as senior attorney for the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in Los Angeles. From March 2003 to 2009, she was an assistant chief counsel for ICE. From 2000 to February 2003, she was an assistant chief counsel for the former Immigration and Naturalization Service. Judge Dorfman is a member of the State Bar of Arizona.

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 Van Nuys

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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.