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

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

Immigration judges

Gregory L. Simmons

Immigration Judge, Santa Ana Immigration Court. Appointed October 2019 by William P. Barr.

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

TRAC source →
Judge Simmons83.4%
Santa Ana court76.5%
All judges nationally62.9%
Decisions on the merits
560
Asylum granted
73
Other relief granted
20
Denied
467
Against own court
+6.9 pts
Denial rate by fiscal year
FY23FY24FY25FY26
64%80%82%95%

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

Docket

Respondents represented by counsel: 93% (nationally, 81% are represented).

Most common nationalities: Mexico (20.4%), Nicaragua (13.4%), China (12.5%), Colombia (11.1%), Guatemala (7.5%).

Official biography

Attorney General William Barr appointed Gregory L. Simmons to begin hearing cases in October 2019. Judge Simmons ear ned a Bachelor of Arts in 1985 from the University of Texas, a Juris Doctor in 1989 from Baylor University School of Law, and a Master of Laws in 1996 from the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School. In 2013, he retired from the U.S. Marine Corps after a career of 26 years. From 2009 to 2013, he served as a general courts-martial trial judge, in California. From 1989 to 2009, he served as a judge advocate in the following locations: Newport, Rhode Island; Albany, Georgia, including an appointment as aspecial assistant U.S. attorney (SAUSA) for the Middle District of Georgia; Kaneohe Bay and Honolulu, Hawaii, including appointment as a SAUSA for the District of Hawaii; San Diego,California; the Pentagon, District of Columbia; Camp Pendleton, California; and overseas. Judge Simmons is a member of the Texas 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 Santa Ana

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.