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

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

Immigration judges

Katherine L. Hansen

Immigration Judge, Fort Snelling Immigration Court. Appointed August 2017 by Jeff Sessions.

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

TRAC source →
Judge Hansen34.4%
Bloomington court80.0%
All judges nationally62.9%
Decisions on the merits
366
Asylum granted
217
Other relief granted
23
Denied
126
Against own court
-45.6 pts
Denial rate by fiscal year
FY22FY23FY24FY25
15%34%39%57%

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

Docket

Respondents represented by counsel: 97% (nationally, 81% are represented).

Most common nationalities: Guatemala (12.6%), Russia (9.6%), El Salvador (8.7%), Mexico (8.2%), Somalia (8.2%).

Official biography

Attorney General Jeff Sessions appointed Katherine L. Hansen to begin hearing cases in August 2017. Judge Hansen ear ned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1986 from Morningside College, a Juris Doctor in 1991 from Drake University School of Law, and a Master of Laws degree in 1997 from Wayne State University School of Law. From 2016 to 2017, she served as a senior staff attorney for Iowa Legal Aid. From 2004 to 2016, she served as a district court judge for Michigan's 36th District Court, in Detroit, Mich. From 2000 to 2004, she served as an assistant attorney general for the State of Michigan. From 1993 to 1999, she served as a member of the Michigan Employment Security Board of Review for the State of Michigan, in Lansing, Mich. Judge Hansen is a member of the Iowa and Michigan State Bars.

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 Bloomington

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.