George Pappas
Immigration Judge, Chelmsford Immigration Court. Appointed August 2023.
Asylum record, FY 2021-2026
TRAC source →- Decisions on the merits
- 166
- Asylum granted
- 60
- Other relief granted
- 21
- Denied
- 85
- Against own court
- -11.1 pts
| FY25 |
|---|
| 52% |
Docket
Respondents represented by counsel: 92% (nationally, 81% are represented).
Most common nationalities: Guatemala (33.1%), Brazil (29.5%), Honduras (9.6%), El Salvador (7.2%), Ecuador (3.6%).
Official biography
George D. Pappas was appointed as an immigration Judge to begin hearing cases in August 2023. Judge Pappas earned a Bachelor of Science in 1982 from the London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London, a Bachelor of Laws in 1998 from the University of London), a Master of Laws in 2000 from Widener University School of Law, Widener University, and a Doctor of Philosophy in 2014 from Birkbeck School of Law, University of London. From 2003 to 2023, he was principal attorney at George D. Pappas Esq. PC, practicing immigration, family law, criminal law, and civil litigation. He also provided pro bono legal services to the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (Washington, D.C.), Pair Project (Boston), Latin American Coalition (Charlotte, North Carolina), El Centro (Hendersonville, North Carolina), and True Ridge (Hendersonville, North Carolina). Judge Pappas is a member of the North Carolina State Bar and the Massachusetts Bar.
In the record
'Department of Injustice': Fired Chelmsford Immigration Court judge blows whistle on perceived political purge
The Lowell Sun interviews fired immigration judge George Pappas, who says the Chelmsford Immigration Court is 'in freefall' and alleges that firings, intimidation and ICE interference amount to a deliberate dismantling of the immigration court system.
'If there's no justice and you have enforcement, you have an authoritarian government'
The Lowell Sun reports on a public address by fired Chelmsford immigration judge George Pappas, who argues that enforcement without adjudicative independence produces authoritarian government.
Ex-Immigration Judge Reveals Tactics Used to Arrest Migrants Who Show Up for Court
NOTUS reports on a declaration by former immigration judge George Pappas describing courthouse arrest tactics, quoting him that such interference undermines judicial neutrality, due process and the responsibility to hold a fair hearing.
Fired Mass. immigration judge sues Trump administration to get his job back
WBUR reports that George Pappas, one of more than 100 immigration judges dismissed by the Justice Department since January 2025, filed suit against the Trump administration seeking reinstatement to the immigration bench.
A Conversation With Former U.S. Immigration Judge George Pappas
Duke Law's Judicature publishes an extended interview with George Pappas, who served on the immigration bench from 2023 until his removal in 2025 and discusses the workings and independence of the immigration courts.
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.