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

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

Immigration judges

John Siemietkowski

Immigration Judge, New York/Federal Plaza Immigration Court. Appointed January 2020 by William P. Barr.

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

TRAC source →
Judge Siemietkowski65.9%
New York court47.7%
All judges nationally62.9%
Decisions on the merits
990
Asylum granted
288
Other relief granted
50
Denied
652
Against own court
+18.2 pts
Denial rate by fiscal year
FY22FY23FY24FY25FY26
69%38%49%72%84%

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

Docket

Respondents represented by counsel: 89% (nationally, 81% are represented).

Most common nationalities: China (15.7%), Ecuador (12.6%), Russia (8.6%), Honduras (7.6%), Uzbekistan (7.4%).

Official biography

Attorney General Barr appointed John J. Siemietkowski to begin hearing cases in January 2020. Judge Siemietkowski ear ned a Bachelor of Arts in 1984 from Georgetown University, a Juris Doctor in 1987 from Catholic University, and a Masters of Law in 2000 from the Army Judge Advocate General's School. From 2002 to November 2019, Judge Siemietkowski worked as a trial attorney at the Commercial Litigation Branch, Department of Justice, in the District of Columbia. From June to December 2018, he served as the U.S. deputy justice attaché to Afghanistan. In 2018, Judge Siemietkowski retired from the Army after a nearly 30-year career as an active duty and reserve JAG attorney. His military career span ned tours as a prosecutor, defense counsel, and trial judge. He taught at the Army JAG School, initially as a professor of Government Contracts & Fiscal Law, and later as a professor of Criminal Law and Trial Advocacy. In his last tour, from October 2016 to September 2017, he served in Kabul as the military coalition's counter-corruption director. Judge Siemietkowski is a member of the Pennsylvania State Bar, State Bar of Texas, and Virginia 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 New York

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.