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

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

Immigration judges

Bruce Imbacuan

Immigration Judge, Cleveland Immigration Court. Appointed January 2020 by William P. Barr.

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

TRAC source →
Judge Imbacuan85.7%
Cleveland court79.2%
All judges nationally62.9%
Decisions on the merits
547
Asylum granted
45
Other relief granted
33
Denied
469
Against own court
+6.5 pts
Denial rate by fiscal year
FY21FY22FY23FY24FY25FY26
70%50%71%66%84%98%

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

Docket

Respondents represented by counsel: 73% (nationally, 81% are represented).

Most common nationalities: Guatemala (11.3%), Mexico (9.1%), Venezuela (8.6%), Haiti (7.1%), Honduras (6.9%).

Official biography

Attorney General Barr appointed Bruce D. Imbacuan to begin hearing cases in January 2020. Judge Imbacuan ear ned a Bachelor of Arts in 1994 from Suffolk University and a Juris Doctor in 1998 from Temple University School of Law. From 2007 to 2019, he served as an assistant chief counsel, Office of Chief Counsel, Office of the Principal Legal Advisor, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security, in Cleveland. From 2005 to 2007, he served as a housing court magistrate for the Cleveland Municipal Housing Court. From 2002 to 2005, he served as an assistant prosecuting prosecutor with the City of Cleveland's Prosecutor's Office. From 1998 to 2002, he was a staff attorney for the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland. Judge Imbacuan is a member of the Ohio State 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 Cleveland

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.