Michael S. Pleters
Immigration Judge, El Paso Immigration Court, El Paso Service Processing Center. Appointed July 2017 by Jeff Sessions.
Asylum record, FY 2021-2026
TRAC source →- Decisions on the merits
- 218
- Asylum granted
- 26
- Other relief granted
- 18
- Denied
- 174
- Against own court
- +1.3 pts
| FY23 | FY24 | FY25 | FY26 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 86% | 86% | 89% | 51% |
Docket
Respondents represented by counsel: 40% (nationally, 81% are represented).
Most common nationalities: Venezuela (13.8%), Mexico (12.8%), Honduras (11%), Guatemala (7.3%), Colombia (6%).
Official biography
Attorney General Jeff Sessions appointed Michael S. Pleters to begin hearing cases in July 2017. Judge Pleters ear ned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1987 from Columbia University and a Juris Doctor in 1992 from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University. From 1999 to 2017, he served as an assistant chief counsel for the Office of Chief Counsel, Department of Homeland Security, in El Paso, Texas. From 2011 to 2014, he served as a special assistant U.S. attorney at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico. From 1994 to 1999, he served as an assistant district attorney for the Office of the District Attorney, 34th Judicial District, also in El Paso. From 1992 to 1994, he served as a law clerk for the Honorable Harry Lee Hudspeth, Chief U.S. District Court Judge, Western District of Texas. Judge Pleters is a member of the Texas and New York State Bars.
In the record
No published reporting or appellate decisions naming this judge have been collected yet.
Other judges at El Paso - EPD
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.