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

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

Immigration judges

Pedro J. Espinal

Immigration Judge, Orlando Immigration Court. Appointed October 2019 by William P. Barr.

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

TRAC source →
Judge Espinal92.2%
Orlando court72.3%
All judges nationally62.9%
Decisions on the merits
206
Asylum granted
1
Other relief granted
15
Denied
190
Against own court
+19.9 pts
Denial rate by fiscal year
FY25FY26
95%87%

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

Docket

Respondents represented by counsel: 75% (nationally, 81% are represented).

Most common nationalities: Venezuela (34%), Cuba (9.7%), Honduras (9.2%), Haiti (7.3%), Guatemala (6.8%).

Official biography

Attorney General William Barr appointed Pedro J. Espinal to begin hearing cases in October 2019. Judge Espinal ear ned a Bachelor of Arts in 2001 from the University of Puerto Rico and a Juris Doctor in 2004 from University of Puerto Rico School of Law. From 2016 to 2019, heserved as a deputy chief counsel, Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA), Immigrationand Customs Enforcement (ICE), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in San Juan, Puerto Rico. From 2011 to 2016, he served as an assistant chief counsel, OPLA, ICE, DHS, in San Juan,Puerto Rico. From 2009 to 2011, he served as an adjudications services officer, U.S. Citizenshipand Immigration Services (USCIS), DHS, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. From 2007 to 2009, heserved as an adjudications services officer, USCIS, DHS, in New York. From 2004 to 2007, hewas a trial attorney with Lavergne-Ramirez & Colon-Machargo LLC, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Judge Espinal is a member of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico 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 Orlando

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.