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

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

Immigration judges

Michelle Venci

Immigration Judge, Chicago Immigration Court. Appointed August 2022.

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

TRAC source →
Judge Venci63.1%
Chicago court49.0%
All judges nationally62.9%
Decisions on the merits
558
Asylum granted
164
Other relief granted
42
Denied
352
Against own court
+14.1 pts
Denial rate by fiscal year
FY23FY24FY25FY26
61%50%64%71%

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

Docket

Respondents represented by counsel: 84% (nationally, 81% are represented).

Most common nationalities: Venezuela (16.7%), Mexico (11.3%), Guatemala (9.5%), Nicaragua (7.7%), Honduras (6.5%).

Official biography

Michelle M. Venci was appointed as an Immigration Judge to begin hearing cases in August 2022. Judge Venci ear ned a Bachelor of Arts in 1997 from the University of Notre Dame and a Juris Doctor in 2002 from Chicago-Kent College of Law. From 2010 to 2022, she served as an assistant chief counsel, Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Department of Homeland Security, in Chicago. From 2007 to 2010, she served as an assistant chief counsel, OPLA, ICE in Orlando, Florida. From 2002 to 2007, she served as an Assistant State's Attorney with the Cook County State's Attorney's Office in Chicago. Judge Venci is a member of the Illinois 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 Chicago

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.