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

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

Immigration judges

Jeremy Santoro

Immigration Judge, Cleveland Immigration Court. Appointed January 2020 by William P. Barr.

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

TRAC source →
Judge Santoro76.2%
Cleveland court79.2%
All judges nationally62.9%
Decisions on the merits
366
Asylum granted
55
Other relief granted
32
Denied
279
Against own court
-3.0 pts
Denial rate by fiscal year
FY21FY22FY23FY24FY25FY26
84%38%54%73%84%89%

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

Docket

Respondents represented by counsel: 87% (nationally, 81% are represented).

Most common nationalities: Guatemala (17.8%), Honduras (9.3%), El Salvador (8.7%), Brazil (7.4%), Haiti (6.6%).

Official biography

Attorney General Barr appointed Jeremy J. Santoro to begin hearing cases in January 2020. Judge Santoro ear ned a Bachelor of Science in 1996 from Bowling Green State University and a Juris Doctor in 2001 from the University of Toledo, College of Law. From 2010 to 2019, he served as an assistant chief counsel, Office of Chief Counsel (OCC), Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in Cleveland. From 2009 to 2010, he served as an assistant chief counsel, OCC, OPLA, ICE, DHS, in Detroit. From 2006 to 2015, he served as a judge advocate for the Ohio Army National Guard, in Columbus, Ohio. From 2002 to 2009, he served as an assistant prosecutor with the Lucas County Prosecutor's Office, in Toledo, Ohio. From 2001 to 2002, he was an associate attorney with Faulkner, Garmhausen, Keister & Shenk L.P.A., in Sidney, Ohio. Judge Santoro is a member of the Ohio 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 Cleveland

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.