Immigration judge · Harlingen Immigration Court (HLG)

Judge Courtney Chua. Stevens

Last 12 months: Sep 2025 – Aug 2026 EOIR data as of Sep 1, 2026 Last decision: Aug 2026 With decisions since 1999 in the public data
More relief than the other judges in this court
How is this compared?

This judge: 19 of 1,503 (1.3 %) got relief (includes their cases in other courts). The other judges in the court: 36 of 7,326 (0.5 %). We say "more" or "less" only when the difference is statistically clear (two-proportion test, 95%); otherwise "similar".

Decisions over 12 months

Decisions 1,503 Sep 2025 – Aug 2026
Grants relief 1.3 % Court 0.5 % · Nation 2.4 %
Removal order 78.6 % Court 82.3 % · Nation 75.6 %
Decided in absentia 21.2 % Court 69.3 % · Nation 45.3 %
Had an attorney 31.0 % Court 23.5 % · Nation 38.1 %
How long cases take 11 months 330 days (median) · Court 855 days · Nation 793 days

In plain words

Out of every 100 cases this judge decided, 1 got relief. Very few cases end with relief.

21 of every 100 cases were decided in absentia, that is, without the person at the hearing.

With and without an attorney, the share with relief was similar (3.9 % and 0.1 %).

Of their 1,503 decisions, 19 ended with relief, 74 with the case closed, 229 with voluntary departure and 1,181 with a removal order.

How the decisions ended
OutcomeDecisions%
Relief191.3 %
Case closed744.9 %
Voluntary departure22915.2 %
Removal order1,18178.6 %
Decided in absentia31921.2 %

This judge, the court and the nation

Grants relief
Removal order
Decided in absentia

With Courtney Chua. Stevens, the share of cases with relief is 1.3 %: higher than at the Harlingen court (0.5 %) and lower than nationwide (2.4 %).

With Courtney Chua. Stevens, the share of removal orders is 78.6 %: lower than at the Harlingen court (82.3 %) and higher than nationwide (75.6 %).

With Courtney Chua. Stevens, the share of cases decided in absentia is 21.2 %: lower than at the Harlingen court (69.3 %) and lower than nationwide (45.3 %).

With Courtney Chua. Stevens, the share of people with an attorney is 31.0 %: higher than at the Harlingen court (23.5 %) and lower than nationwide (38.1 %).

Cases with Courtney Chua. Stevens take less time than at the Harlingen court: a median of 330 days versus 855.

Compared with other judges

  • Ranked 3 of 8 for relief among the judges of their court (1 = most relief).
  • Ranked 8 of 8 for cases decided in absentia (1 = most in absentia).
  • Ranked 2 of 8 for speed (1 = fastest).
  • Grants relief more often than 37 of every 100 judges nationwide (among 850 judges with 50 or more decisions).

Decisions per month (Sep 2025 – Aug 2026)

The busiest month was May 2026 (293 decisions) and the quietest Dec 2025 (38).

Decisions per month (Sep 2025 – Aug 2026)
MonthDecisionsReliefIn absentiaVs. prior month
Sep 20258820—
Oct 20255120down
Nov 20254130down
Dec 20253830down
Jan 20263810same
Feb 202611410up
Mar 202611020down
Apr 20267300down
May 2026293144up
Jun 2026172157down
Jul 20262763135up
Aug 2026209083down

Months with fewer than 5 decisions are dotted: with so few cases, that month's percentage says little.

By nationality

The nationality with the most decisions before Courtney Chua. Stevens is Mexico (748), followed by Honduras, Guatemala, Venezuela and Ecuador. The highest share with relief was for people from Ecuador (1.3 %).

Country of originDecisionsReliefIn absentia
Mexico7480.3 %27.8 %
Honduras1640.0 %20.1 %
Guatemala871.2 %19.5 %
Venezuela850.0 %8.2 %
Ecuador801.3 %26.3 %

Only countries with 25 or more decisions with this judge; cases without a recorded nationality are not included.

With and without an attorney

DecisionsRelief
With an attorney4663.9 %
Without an attorney1,0370.1 %

Where this judge decides

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Other judges at Harlingen Immigration Court

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Frequently asked questions

How many cases did Courtney Chua. Stevens decide in the last 12 months?

1,503 decisions between Sep 2025 and Aug 2026, per EOIR data as of Sep 1, 2026.

How often does Courtney Chua. Stevens grant relief?

In 19 of 1,503 decisions (1.3 %). In the court the share was 0.5 % and nationwide 2.4 %.

What does "in absentia" mean?

That the case was decided without the person at the hearing. With Courtney Chua. Stevens it happened in 21.2 % of decisions. Going to your hearing is the most important thing you can do.

Where does this data come from?

From official EOIR case data, published in its FOIA Library. We count the immigration judge's decisions over the last 12 full months.

Sources

Not legal advice. These figures describe past decisions and do not predict your case. Talk to an immigration attorney.

Inmigreat is not part of the government and is not endorsed by USCIS or EOIR.