Erica Hughes

Immigration Judge, Houston Immigration Court. Appointed December 2021.

StrictDenies far more often than the national average+27.9 points

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

Judge Hughes90.8%

Houston court86.1%

All judges nationally62.9%

Decisions on the merits: 185
Asylum granted: 7
Other relief granted: 10
Denied: 168
Against own court: +4.7 pts

Denial rate by fiscal year
FY22	FY23
90%	91%

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

Docket

Respondents represented by counsel: 84% (nationally, 81% are represented).

Most common nationalities: Honduras (35.1%), El Salvador (31.4%), Guatemala (12.4%), Venezuela (5.4%), Mexico (3.8%).

Official biography

Erica R. Hughes was appointed as an Immigration Judge to begin hearing cases in December 2021. Judge Hughes ear ned a Bachelor of Science in 2003 from Prairie View A&M University and a Juris Doctor in 2006 from Texas Southern University, Thurgood Marshall School of Law. From 2019 to 2021, she served as Presiding Judge of Harris County Criminal Court at Law #3 and Harris County Veterans Treatment Court, in Houston. From 2007 to 2018, she served as Managing Partner of The Hughes Firm PLLC, in Houston. Since 2016, she has also served as a Judge Advocate with the U.S. Army National Guard of Texas, in Austin. Judge Hughes is a member of the State Bar of Texas.

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 Houston

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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.