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

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

Immigration judges

Lourdes Martinez-Esquivel

Immigration Judge, Miami Immigration Court. Appointed April 2009.

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

TRAC source →
Judge Martinez-Esquivel81.8%
Miami court71.5%
All judges nationally62.9%
Decisions on the merits
451
Asylum granted
35
Other relief granted
47
Denied
369
Against own court
+10.3 pts
Denial rate by fiscal year
FY21FY22FY23FY24FY25FY26
89%88%75%76%81%86%

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

Docket

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

Most common nationalities: Guatemala (20.2%), Cuba (18.6%), Venezuela (14.6%), Nicaragua (10.2%), Honduras (9.8%).

Official biography

Judge Martinez-Esquivel was appointed to be an immigration judge in April 2009. She received a bachelor of science in business administration in 1983 from Georgetown University; a master of business administration in 1987 from Florida International University; and a juris doctorate in 1990 from Boston College Law School. From 1997 to 2009, Judge Lourdes Martinez-Esquivel worked as mana ging attorney with the Law Office of Lourdes Martinez-Esquivel. During this time, from 1999 to 2003, she also served as an adjunct professor at Florida International University. From 2006 to 2007, Judge Martinez-Esquivel served as president for the American Immigration Lawyers Association, South Florida Chapter. She is board certified as a specialist in immigration and nationality law by the Florida Bar. From 2004 to 2005, Judge Martinez-Esquivel also served as chair person for the Immigration and Nationality Law Certification Committee of the Florida Bar, where she served as a member from 2003 to 2007.From 1992 to 1997, Judge Martinez-Esquivel was in private practice in Miami. From 1990 to1992, she worked as a judicial law clerk and attorney advisor at the Miami Immigration Court. Judge Martinez-Esquivel is a member of the Florida 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 Miami

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.