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

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

Immigration judges

Bridget Virchis

Immigration Judge, Los Angeles - West Los Angeles Immigration Court. Appointed September 2017 by Jeff Sessions.

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

TRAC source →
Judge Virchis46.1%
Los Angeles - WLA court61.2%
All judges nationally62.9%
Decisions on the merits
128
Asylum granted
48
Other relief granted
21
Denied
59
Against own court
-15.1 pts
Denial rate by fiscal year
FY21FY22FY23FY24
65%43%38%42%

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: China (32.8%), El Salvador (16.4%), Guatemala (14.1%), Mexico (10.2%), India (7.8%).

Official biography

Attorney General Jeff Sessions appointed Bridget Virchis to begin hearing cases in September 2017. Judge Virchis ear ned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1996 from Cornell University and a Juris Doctor in 2002 from the University of Southern California Law School. From 2008 to 2017, she worked for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in Los Angeles, serving as assistant chief counsel from 2008 to 2010, and a senior attorney from 2010 to 2017. From 2006 to 2008, she served as an associate legal advisor for ICE in Washington, D.C. From 2002 to 2006, she served as an attorney advisor for the U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of the Solicitor, Division of Indian Affairs, also in Washington, D.C. Judge Virchis is a member of the District of Columbia 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 Los Angeles - WLA

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.