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

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

Immigration judges

Rene D. Mateo

Immigration Judge, Miami Immigration Court. Appointed January 2009.

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

TRAC source →
Judge Mateo67.1%
Miami court71.5%
All judges nationally62.9%
Decisions on the merits
228
Asylum granted
24
Other relief granted
51
Denied
153
Against own court
-4.4 pts
Denial rate by fiscal year
FY23FY25FY26
65%53%82%

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

Docket

Respondents represented by counsel: 79% (nationally, 81% are represented).

Most common nationalities: Nicaragua (18.4%), Cuba (15.4%), Honduras (14.9%), Guatemala (13.2%), Colombia (7.5%).

Official biography

Judge Mateo was appointed as an immigration judge in January 2009. He received a bachelor of arts degree in 1980 and a master of public administration degree in 1985, both from Florida International University, and a juris doctorate in 1988 from the University of Miami School of Law. From 2003 to January 2009, Judge Mateo served as deputy chief counsel, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security. From 1998 to 2003, he served as acting deputy and deputy district counsel with the former Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). From 1995 to 1997, Judge Mateo worked as an assistant U.S. attorney at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida. From 1989 to 1995, Judge Mateo served as assistant district counsel with the former INS, entering through the Attorney General's Honor Program. He is a member of the Florida and District of Columbia bars.

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 Miami

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.