New York · est. 2013Thursday, September 24, 2026
Inside Immigration

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

Immigration judges

Ralph E. Girvin

Immigration Judge, Otero Immigration Court. Appointed October 2020 by William P. Barr.

StrictDenies far more often than the national average+21.9 points

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

TRAC source →
Judge Girvin84.8%
Chaparral court70.2%
All judges nationally62.9%
Decisions on the merits
374
Asylum granted
27
Other relief granted
30
Denied
317
Against own court
+14.6 pts
Denial rate by fiscal year
FY21FY22FY23FY24FY25FY26
62%58%75%96%94%96%

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

Docket

Respondents represented by counsel: 34% (nationally, 81% are represented).

Most common nationalities: Venezuela (14.2%), Colombia (9.9%), Nicaragua (9.4%), Honduras (7%), Mexico (7%).

Official biography

Attorney General William P. Barr appointed Ralph E. Girvin Jr., as an Immigration Judge in October 2020. Judge Girvin earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1993 from the University of Texas at El Paso and a Juris Doctor in 1995 from St. Mary's University School of Law. From 2018 to 2020,he served as an assistant chief counsel, Office of Chief Counsel, Office of the Principal Legal Advisor, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security, in El Paso,Texas. From 2016 to 2018, he served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Western District of Texas. From 2000 to 2016, he served as an assistant attorney and chief of the Civil and Criminal Divisions, for the County of El Paso, Texas. From 1996 to 1999, he served as an assistant district attorney for the 34th Judicial District of Texas. From 1986 to 1992, he served in various capacities in the U.S. Army Reserve and the Texas Army National Guard. Judge Girvin is a member of the State Bar of Texas.

As published by the Executive Office for Immigration Review at appointment, via TRAC.

In the record

  • Executive Office for Immigration Review · 2020-10-09

    EOIR Announces 20 New Immigration Judges

    EOIR's announcement of 20 new immigration judges says Attorney General William Barr appointed Ralph E. Girvin Jr. to the Otero Immigration Court in October 2020. From 2018 to 2020 he was an assistant chief counsel with ICE.

Other judges at Chaparral

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.