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

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

Immigration judges

Leon J. Francis

Immigration Judge, Santa Ana Immigration Court. Appointed October 2018 by Jeff Sessions.

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

TRAC source →
Judge Francis76.1%
Santa Ana court76.5%
All judges nationally62.9%
Decisions on the merits
979
Asylum granted
210
Other relief granted
24
Denied
745
Against own court
-0.4 pts
Denial rate by fiscal year
FY22FY23FY24FY25FY26
37%55%66%83%93%

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

Docket

Respondents represented by counsel: 88% (nationally, 81% are represented).

Most common nationalities: Mexico (26.6%), China (10.4%), Nicaragua (10%), Guatemala (8.7%), Colombia (8.1%).

Official biography

Attorney General Jeff Sessions appointed Leon J. Francis to begin hearing cases in October 2018. Judge Francis ear ned a Bachelor of Arts in 1993 from Boise State University, a Juris Doctor in 1996 from Gonzaga University School of Law, and a Master of Laws in 2009 from the Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School. From 1996 to 2018, he was a judge advocate with the U.S. Marine Corps in the following locations: Kaneohe, Hawaii; Camp Pendleton, California; Pentagon, Washington, D.C.; Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan; and Yuma,Arizona. He served as a military judge for the last six years of his military career. Judge Francisis a member of the Idaho 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 Santa Ana

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.