New York · est. 2013Friday, September 4, 2026
Inside Immigration

Plain-language guides to US immigration, asylum and USCIS procedure.

Immigration judges

Barbara A. Nelson

Immigration Judge, New York/Federal Plaza Immigration Court. Appointed September 1995.

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

TRAC source →
Judge Nelson55.6%
New York court47.7%
All judges nationally62.9%
Decisions on the merits
1,020
Asylum granted
402
Other relief granted
51
Denied
567
Against own court
+7.9 pts
Denial rate by fiscal year
FY21FY22FY23FY24FY25FY26
50%34%36%41%48%86%

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

Docket

Respondents represented by counsel: 79% (nationally, 81% are represented).

Most common nationalities: China (23.6%), Ecuador (12.9%), India (11.1%), Bangladesh (5%), El Salvador (4.5%).

Official biography

Judge Nelson was appointed as an Immigration Judge in September 1995. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico in 1972, and a Juris Doctorate from the New England School of Law in 1975. From 1983 to 1995, she was in private practice in New York. Judge Nelson was also in private practice with Pollack & Kromer from 1979 to 1983, and with Antonio C. Martinez from 1977 to 1979, both of New York. She is a member of the Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York Bars.

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 New York

Court page →

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.