Valerie A. Burch

Immigration Judge, Otay Mesa Immigration Court. Appointed September 2016 by Loretta E. Lynch.

LenientGrants far more often than the national average-24.2 points

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

Judge Burch38.7%

Otay Mesa court56.2%

All judges nationally62.9%

Decisions on the merits: 111
Asylum granted: 31
Other relief granted: 37
Denied: 43
Against own court: -17.5 pts

Denial rate by fiscal year
FY24	FY25
44%	27%

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

Docket

Respondents represented by counsel: 62% (nationally, 81% are represented).

Most common nationalities: Mexico (18.9%), Russia (14.4%), El Salvador (8.1%), Eritrea (7.2%), Guatemala (6.3%).

Official biography

Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch appointed Valerie A. Burch to begin hearing cases in September 2016. Judge Burch ear ned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2000 from the University of Rochester and a Juris Doctor in 2004 from the Penn State Dickinson School of Law. From 2012 to September 2016, she was an attorney for The Shagin Law Group, in Harrisburg, Pa. From 2007 through 2012, she was a staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, in Harrisburg, Pa. From 2004 through 2007, she was a mana ging attorney for the Pennsylvania Immigration Resource Center, in York, Pa. Judge Burch is a member of the Pennsylvania 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 Otay Mesa

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.