Sandra J. Santos-Garcia

Immigration Judge, Los Angeles-Van Nuys Boulevard Immigration Court. Appointed June 2016 by Loretta E. Lynch.

AverageClose to the national average-4.4 points

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

Judge Santos-Garcia58.5%

Van Nuys court60.4%

All judges nationally62.9%

Decisions on the merits: 908
Asylum granted: 330
Other relief granted: 47
Denied: 531
Against own court: -1.9 pts

Denial rate by fiscal year
FY22	FY23	FY24	FY25	FY26
45%	48%	33%	36%	93%

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

Docket

Respondents represented by counsel: 95% (nationally, 81% are represented).

Most common nationalities: Armenia (17.6%), El Salvador (14.3%), Mexico (14%), Russia (11.5%), Guatemala (11.3%).

Official biography

Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch appointed Sandra J. Santos-Garcia to begin hearing cases in June 2016. Judge Santos-Garcia ear ned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1998 and a Juris Doctor in 2001, both from the University of California, Berkeley. From 2010 through 2016, Judge Santos-Garcia served as a senior attorney for the Office of the Chief Counsel (OCC), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Department of Homeland Security (DHS). From 2001 through 2010, Judge Santos-Garcia served as assistant chief counsel for OCC, ICE, DHS. Judge Santos-Garcia is a member of the State Bars of Arizona and California.

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 Van Nuys

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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.