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

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

Immigration judges

Kenneth Sogabe

Immigration Judge, Seattle Immigration Court. Appointed July 2021.

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

TRAC source →
Judge Sogabe85.8%
Seattle court73.9%
All judges nationally62.9%
Decisions on the merits
1,809
Asylum granted
226
Other relief granted
31
Denied
1,552
Against own court
+11.9 pts
Denial rate by fiscal year
FY21FY22FY23FY24FY25FY26
70%79%82%76%91%93%

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

Docket

Respondents represented by counsel: 40% (nationally, 81% are represented).

Most common nationalities: Mexico (33.9%), Guatemala (9.7%), Colombia (9.3%), Honduras (9.2%), Brazil (7.1%).

Official biography

Kenneth S. Sogabe was appointed as an Immigration Judge to begin hearing cases in July 2021.Judge Sogabe ear ned a Bachelor of Arts in 1995 and a Master of Arts in 1996, both from San Francisco State University, and a Juris Doctor in 2001 from Golden Gate University School of Law. From 2018 to 2021, he served as Associate General Counsel, Office of General Counsel,Department of Defense Education Activity, in Okinawa, Japan. From 2014 to 2018, he served asan Attorney Advisor, Office of Chief Counsel, Customs and Border Protection, DHS, in San Francisco. From 2007 to 2014, he served as a Staff Attorney for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, in San Francisco. From 2001 to 2006, he served as an Assistant Chief Counsel,Office of the Principal Legal Advisor, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in San Francisco. Judge Sogabe is a member of the State Bar of California.

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 Seattle

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.