New York · est. 2013Thursday, September 24, 2026
Inside Immigration

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

Immigration judges

Vivienne E. Gordon-Uruakpa

Immigration Judge, New York/Federal Plaza Immigration Court. Appointed June 2002.

LenientGrants far more often than the national average-61.3 points

Asylum record, FY 2021-2026

TRAC source →
Judge Gordon-Uruakpa1.6%
New York court47.7%
All judges nationally62.9%
Decisions on the merits
675
Asylum granted
605
Other relief granted
59
Denied
11
Against own court
-46.1 pts
Denial rate by fiscal year
FY21FY22FY24FY25
5%3%2%1%

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

Docket

Respondents represented by counsel: 96% (nationally, 81% are represented).

Most common nationalities: China (38.9%), India (12.9%), Bangladesh (8%), Russia (4.9%), Nepal (4.3%).

Official biography

Judge Gordon-Uruakpa was appointed as an Immigration Judge in June 2002. She received an undergraduate degree from Fordham University in 1980 and a Juris Doctorate from Howard School of Law in 1984. Judge Gordon-Uruakpa served as an assistant district counsel with the former Immigration and Naturalization Service in New York from 1996 to June 2002. From 1987 to 1996, she served as a staff attorney and supervisor with the Legal Aid Society, criminal defense division, also in New York. Judge Gordon-Uruakpa worked as a staff attorney/Reginald Heber Smith Fellow with the Legal Services Corporation, Chemung County Neighborhood Legal Services in Elmira, New York, from 1984 to 1986. She is a member of the New York Bar.

As published by the Executive Office for Immigration Review at appointment, via TRAC.

In the record

  • New York Post · 2026-02-21

    Feds axe NY judge who granted more asylum claims than any other

    The Post reports that the Justice Department terminated Judge Vivienne Gordon-Uruakpa, who ruled for asylum claimants 97 percent of the time, more than any colleague in New York. A government official attributed the September removal to her record of asylum rulings.

Other judges at New York

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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.