Jose Luis Penalosa Jr.

Immigration Judge, San Diego Immigration Court. Appointed April 2017 by Jeff Sessions.

StrictDenies far more often than the national average+23.4 points

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

Judge Jr.86.3%

San Diego court54.6%

All judges nationally62.9%

Decisions on the merits: 366
Asylum granted: 21
Other relief granted: 29
Denied: 316
Against own court: +31.7 pts

Denial rate by fiscal year
FY24	FY25	FY26
60%	86%	98%

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

Docket

Respondents represented by counsel: 91% (nationally, 81% are represented).

Most common nationalities: Guatemala (25.1%), Mexico (20.2%), Venezuela (7.9%), Colombia (6.8%), Russia (6.6%).

Official biography

Attorney General Jeff Sessions appointed José Luis Peñalosa Jr. to begin hearing cases in April 2017. Judge Peñalosa ear ned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1986 from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Juris Doctor in 1989 from the Arizona State University Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law. From May 1993 to April 2017, he was a solo practitioner at Peñalosa & Associates P.C. From May 1991 to May 1993, he was an attorney with Friendly House Inc. in Phoenix. Judge Peñalosa is a member of the State Bar of Arizona and the Colorado 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 San Diego

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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.