Port Isabel immigration court
Address
Port Isabel Immigration Court: Port Isabel Processing Center, 27991 Buena Vista Boulevard, Los Fresnos, TX 78566
Court decisions over 12 months
In plain words
Out of every 100 cases decided in this court, 4 got relief. The vast majority end without relief.
0 of every 100 cases were decided in absentia, that is, without the person at the hearing.
With an attorney, 8 of every 100 got relief; without one, 1 of every 100 (7.6 % and 0.8 %).
Of the 2,925 decisions in this court, 114 ended with relief, 133 with the case closed, 1,813 with voluntary departure and 865 with a removal order.
| Outcome | Decisions | % |
|---|---|---|
| Relief | 114 | 3.9 % |
| Case closed | 133 | 4.6 % |
| Voluntary departure | 1,813 | 62.0 % |
| Removal order | 865 | 29.6 % |
| Decided in absentia | 0 | 0.0 % |
This court and the nation
With the Port Isabel court, the share of cases with relief is 3.9 %: higher than nationwide (2.4 %).
With the Port Isabel court, the share of removal orders is 29.6 %: lower than nationwide (75.6 %).
With the Port Isabel court, the share of cases decided in absentia is 0.0 %: lower than nationwide (45.3 %).
With the Port Isabel court, the share of people with an attorney is 45.7 %: higher than nationwide (38.1 %).
Cases with the Port Isabel court take less time than nationwide: a median of 51 days versus 793.
With and without an attorney
| Decisions | Relief | |
|---|---|---|
| With an attorney | 1,336 | 7.6 % |
| Without an attorney | 1,589 | 0.8 % |
Compared with other courts
- Ranked 22 of 71 courts for relief (1 = most relief).
- Ranked 68 of 71 courts for cases decided in absentia (1 = most in absentia).
Decisions per month (Sep 2025 – Aug 2026)
The busiest month was Sep 2025 (348 decisions) and the quietest Apr 2026 (85).
| Month | Decisions | Relief | In absentia | Vs. prior month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | 348 | 13 | 0 | — |
| Oct 2025 | 345 | 17 | 0 | down |
| Nov 2025 | 261 | 7 | 0 | down |
| Dec 2025 | 340 | 15 | 0 | up |
| Jan 2026 | 341 | 14 | 0 | up |
| Feb 2026 | 282 | 9 | 0 | down |
| Mar 2026 | 201 | 11 | 0 | down |
| Apr 2026 | 85 | 9 | 0 | down |
| May 2026 | 141 | 1 | 0 | up |
| Jun 2026 | 128 | 3 | 0 | down |
| Jul 2026 | 215 | 5 | 0 | up |
| Aug 2026 | 238 | 10 | 0 | up |
Months with fewer than 5 decisions are dotted: with so few cases, that month's percentage says little.
Judges at this court
4 judges have this as their main court in the window. The one who decided the most was Melissa Joy Garcia, with 978 decisions.
Sorted by decisions over 12 months. The label compares each judge with the other judges in the court.
| Judge | Decisions | Relief | In absentia | Vs. the court |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Judge Melissa Joy Garcia | 978 | 0.0 % | 0.0 % | Less relief: Less relief than the other judges in this court |
| Judge Paul A. Hable | 852 | 2.6 % | 1.2 % | Less relief: Less relief than the other judges in this court |
| Judge Margaret R. MacGregor | 666 | 5.3 % | 3.5 % | Similar: Relief similar to the other judges in this court |
| Judge Jason Smith | 145 | 6.9 % | 0.0 % | Similar: Relief similar to the other judges in this court |