Carla Espinoza

Immigration Judge, Chicago Immigration Court. Appointed August 2023.

LenientGrants far more often than the national average-38.1 points

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

Judge Espinoza24.8%

Chicago court49.0%

All judges nationally62.9%

Decisions on the merits: 250
Asylum granted: 147
Other relief granted: 41
Denied: 62
Against own court: -24.2 pts

Denial rate by fiscal year
FY24	FY25
21%	38%

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

Docket

Respondents represented by counsel: 80% (nationally, 81% are represented).

Most common nationalities: Russia (15.2%), Venezuela (13.6%), Nicaragua (10.4%), Colombia (9.2%), India (4.4%).

Official biography

Carla I. Espinoza was appointed as an immigration judge to begin hearing cases in August 2023. Judge Espinoza ear ned a Bachelor of Science in 2009 from the University of Texas at El Paso, and a Juris Doctor and a Certificate in International and Comparative Law in 2012 from DePaul University College of Law. From 2020 to 2023, she was the mana ging partner, and from 2013 to 2020, she was supervising and mana ging attorney, for Chicago Immigration Advocates Law Offices. From 2012 to 2013, she served as a supervising attorney with Solis Law Firm PC in Chicago. Judge Espinoza is a member of the Illinois 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 Chicago

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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.