Donald Ostrom
Immigration Judge, Chelmsford Immigration Court. Appointed November 2023.
Asylum record, FY 2021-2026
TRAC source →- Decisions on the merits
- 119
- Asylum granted
- 29
- Other relief granted
- 6
- Denied
- 84
- Against own court
- +8.3 pts
| FY25 |
|---|
| 71% |
Docket
Respondents represented by counsel: 76% (nationally, 81% are represented).
Most common nationalities: Brazil (29.4%), Guatemala (14.3%), Dominican Republic (9.2%), Ecuador (7.6%), Angola (5%).
Official biography
Donald R. Ostrom was appointed as an immigration judge to begin hearing cases in November 2023. Judge Ostrom earned a Bachelor of Science in 2000 from George Mason University, a Juris Doctor in 2003 from Capital University Law School, and a Master of Laws in Military Law in 2009 from the United States Army Judge Advocate General's School. From 2003 to 2023, he served as a judge advocate in the U.S. Navy, which culminated in his service as the Circuit Trial Judge, Navy and Marine Corps Trial Judiciary in Norfolk, Virginia. From 1990 to 1995, Judge Ostrom served in the U.S. Marine Corps. Judge Ostrom is a member of the Ohio State Bar.
In the record
EOIR Announces 39 New Immigration Judges
EOIR's notice records that Donald R. Ostrom was appointed an immigration judge beginning November 2023 at the Boston Immigration Court, after two decades of service as a U.S. Army judge advocate.
Guatemalan man detained in New Bedford due to be released after judge's order
GBH reports that Immigration Court Judge Donald Ostrom dismissed the case against Juan Francisco Mendez because immigration authorities had failed to file the required charging documents, clearing the way for his release from detention.
New Bedford immigrant family faces hurdles
The Globe reports that Judge Donald Ostrom of the Chelmsford Immigration Court had closed Juan Francisco Mendez's immigration case a day before a federal judge in New Hampshire denied an emergency motion for his immediate release.
Calls grow louder for the release of Milford teenager arrested by ICE
Coverage of the detention of Milford, Massachusetts high school student Marcelo Gomes da Silva reports that his hearing was scheduled at the Chelmsford Immigration Court before Judge Ostrom, where his attorney planned to seek release from ICE custody.
New Bedford immigrant whose arrest went viral freed on bond
The New Bedford Light reports on the release of Juan Francisco Mendez on bond, noting that the alien registration number in Immigration Judge Donald Ostrom's order differed from another number assigned to Mendez's case.
Other judges at Chelmsford
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.