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

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

Immigration judges

Michael G. McFarland

Immigration Judge, New York/Federal Plaza Immigration Court. Appointed August 2018 by Jeff Sessions.

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

TRAC source →
Judge McFarland35.1%
New York court47.7%
All judges nationally62.9%
Decisions on the merits
1,115
Asylum granted
675
Other relief granted
49
Denied
391
Against own court
-12.6 pts
Denial rate by fiscal year
FY22FY23FY24FY25FY26
16%18%9%32%79%

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

Docket

Respondents represented by counsel: 87% (nationally, 81% are represented).

Most common nationalities: China (30.8%), India (11.6%), Bangladesh (8.4%), Ecuador (6%), Venezuela (4.2%).

Official biography

Attorney General Jeff Sessions appointed Michael G. McFarland to begin hearing cases in August 2018. Judge McFarland ear ned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2004from New York University and a Juris Doctor in 2007from New York University School of Law. From 2011 to2018, he was assistant chief counsel and then deputy chief counsel for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security, in New York, N.Y. From 2007 to 2011, he wasa staff attorney with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, also in New York, N.Y.Judge McFarland 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.