New York · est. 2013Thursday, September 24, 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.

StrictDenies more often than the national average+13.3 points

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 earned 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

  • Sandusky Register · 2020-01-17

    Bellevue grad appointed to federal bench

    The Sandusky Register profiles Santoro, a 1991 Bellevue High School graduate appointed to the federal immigration court in Cleveland. The article traces his path from Bellevue through Bowling Green State University to the immigration bench.

  • Executive Office for Immigration Review · 2019-12-20

    Executive Office for Immigration Review to Swear in 28 Immigration

    This EOIR announcement lists Jeremy Santoro as an immigration judge at the Cleveland Immigration Court, appointed by Attorney General Barr to begin hearing cases in January 2020. The biography states: From 2009 to 2010, he served as an assistant chief counsel, OCC, OPLA, ICE, DHS, in Detroit.

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.