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

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

Immigration judges

Matthew Kaufman

Immigration Judge, Denver Immigration Court. Appointed June 2015 by Loretta E. Lynch.

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

TRAC source →
Judge Kaufman39.9%
Denver court58.1%
All judges nationally62.9%
Decisions on the merits
193
Asylum granted
66
Other relief granted
50
Denied
77
Against own court
-18.2 pts
Denial rate by fiscal year
FY22FY23FY24FY25FY26
38%16%32%26%89%

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

Docket

Respondents represented by counsel: 62% (nationally, 81% are represented).

Most common nationalities: Colombia (22.8%), Peru (10.4%), Venezuela (9.3%), Mexico (7.8%), Honduras (6.2%).

Official biography

Attorney General Loretta Lynch appointed Judge Kaufman to begin hearing cases in June 2015.Judge Kaufman received a bachelor of arts degree in 1998 from the University of Arizona and ajuris doctorate in 2002 from Arizona State University College of Law. From September 2006 to May 2015, Judge Kaufman served as assistant chief counsel, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in Tucson, Ariz. From 2004 to 2006,he served as an attorney, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, DHS, in Tucson, Ariz. From2003 to 2004, Judge Kaufman served as assistant attorney general for the Washington State Office of the Attorney General, in Yakima, Wash. From 2002 to 2003, he worked as an attorney for Cetrus Consulting Group, in Seattle. Judge Kaufman is a member of the State Bars of Arizona and California, and the Washington 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 Denver

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.