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

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

Immigration judges

Stephen M. Ruhle

Immigration Judge, El Paso Immigration Court, El Paso Service Processing Center. Appointed March 2008.

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

TRAC source →
Judge Ruhle74.1%
El Paso - EPD court78.5%
All judges nationally62.9%
Decisions on the merits
255
Asylum granted
46
Other relief granted
20
Denied
189
Against own court
-4.4 pts
Denial rate by fiscal year
FY23FY24FY25FY26
72%84%78%45%

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

Docket

Respondents represented by counsel: 37% (nationally, 81% are represented).

Most common nationalities: Venezuela (16.1%), Mexico (13.7%), Colombia (6.7%), Guatemala (6.7%), El Salvador (6.3%).

Official biography

Judge Ruhle was appointed as an immigration judge in March 2008. Hereceived a bachelor of arts degree in 1990 from the State University of New York at Albany and a juris doctorate in 1993 from Albany Law School. From September 1997 to March 2008, Judge Ruhle worked as deputy chief counsel and assistant chief counsel, Office of the Chief Counsel,U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), DHS, in El Paso, Texas. From 1994 to 1997, he served in the U.S. Navy as a staff judge advocate and judge advocate. In 1998, Judge Ruhle joined the U.S. Army Reserveand continues to serve as a judge advocate. He is a member of the New York, Florida, and Colorado 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 El Paso - EPD

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.