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

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

Immigration judges

Sarah Hartnett

Immigration Judge, Houston Immigration Court. Appointed December 2021.

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

TRAC source →
Judge Hartnett49.0%
Houston court86.1%
All judges nationally62.9%
Decisions on the merits
100
Asylum granted
46
Other relief granted
5
Denied
49
Against own court
-37.1 pts
Denial rate by fiscal year
FY23
48%

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

Docket

Respondents represented by counsel: 94% (nationally, 81% are represented).

Most common nationalities: Venezuela (31%), Nicaragua (23%), Honduras (13%), Cuba (10%), Colombia (7%).

Official biography

Sarah L. Hartnett was appointed as an Immigration Judge to begin hearing cases in December 2021. Judge Hartnett ear ned a Bachelor of Science in 1995 from Sul Ross State University and a Juris Doctor in 2000 from St. Mary's University School of Law. From 2014 to 2021, she served as Chief Counsel, Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in Houston. From 2012 to 2014, she served as Deputy Director of Field Legal Operations, OPLA, ICE, DHS, in the District of Columbia. From 2009 to 2012, she served as Deputy Chief for the Enforcement Law Division and Section Chief for the Enforcement Law Section, OPLA, ICE, DHS, in the District of Columbia. While Section Chief, she served as a detailed Trial Attorney for the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section, Criminal Division, Department of Justice (DOJ). From 2002 to 2009, she served as an Assistant Chief Counsel (ACC), OPLA, ICE, DHS, in Phoenix. While an ACC, she served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona. In 2001, she served as an Assistant District Attorney, District Attorney's Office, 34th Judicial District, El Paso, Texas. From 2000 to 2001, she served as a Judicial Law Clerk, then Attorney Advisor, at the Dallas Immigration Court, Executive Office for Immigration Review, DOJ. Judge Hartnett 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

No published reporting or appellate decisions naming this judge have been collected yet.

Other judges at Houston

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.