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

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

Immigration judges

Thanos Kanellakos

Immigration Judge, Hyattsville Immigration Court. Appointed October 2021.

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

TRAC source →
Judge Kanellakos67.7%
Hyattsville court57.6%
All judges nationally62.9%
Decisions on the merits
582
Asylum granted
170
Other relief granted
18
Denied
394
Against own court
+10.1 pts
Denial rate by fiscal year
FY23FY24FY25FY26
53%52%74%82%

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: El Salvador (19.8%), Cameroon (18.6%), Guatemala (10.3%), Peru (9.1%), Honduras (7.4%).

Official biography

Thanos Kanellakos was appointed as an Immigration Judge to begin bearing cases in October 2021. Judge Kanellakos ear ned a Bachelor of Arts in 1985 from Loyola College of Maryland and a Juris Doctor in 1989 from the University of Baltimore School of Law. From 2004 to 2021, he was in solo practice in York, Pennsylvania, concent rating in immigration and nationality law. From 1990 to 2003, he was in solo practice in Baltimore, concent rating in immigration and nationality law and criminal defense. From 1992 to 2003, he was a Panel Attorney of the Communications and Legislative Affairs Division Criminal Justice Act Defense Panel of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. From 1990 to 1992, he served as an Assistant Part-Time Attorney for the Office of the Public Defender for Baltimore County, Maryland. Judge Kanellakos is a member of the Maryland State Bar.

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 Hyattsville

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.