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

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

Immigration judges

Linda Hristova

Immigration Judge, New York/Federal Plaza Immigration Court. Appointed March 2026.

StrictDenies far more often than the national average+35.6 points

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

TRAC source →
Judge Hristova98.5%
New York court47.7%
All judges nationally62.9%
Decisions on the merits
132
Asylum granted
0
Other relief granted
2
Denied
130
Against own court
+50.8 pts
Denial rate by fiscal year
FY26
98%

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

Docket

Respondents represented by counsel: 83% (nationally, 81% are represented).

Most common nationalities: China (16.7%), Ecuador (15.2%), Russia (12.9%), Venezuela (8.3%), Georgia (6.8%).

Official biography

Linda Hristova was appointed as an immigration judge to begin hearing cases in March 2026. Judge Hristova ear ned a Bachelor of Arts in 2006 from the University of Southern California and a Juris Doctor in 2009 from Brooklyn Law School. From January 2026 to February 2026, she served as deputy bureau chief in the Trial Division, Street Safety Bureau, at the Kings County District Attorney's Office in Brooklyn, New York. From July 2022 to December 2025, she served as deputy bureau chief in the Grand Jury, Trial Bureau V, Orange Zone, at the Kings County District Attorney's Office in Brooklyn. From February 2019 to June 2022, she served as senior assistant district attorney in the Investigations Division, Frauds Bureau, at the Kings County District Attorney's Office in Brooklyn. From April 2017 to February 2019, she served as senior assistant district attorney in Trial Bureau III, Grey Zone, at the Kings County District Attorney's Office in Brooklyn. From January 2010 to March 2017, she served as assistant district attorney in the Trial Bureau III, Grey Zone, at the Kings County District Attorney's Office in Brooklyn. She was the recipient of the Robert M. Pitler Criminal Justice Post-Graduate Fellowship Award. Judge Hristova is a member of the New York 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.