What is Judge Luisa Santiago's background?
EOIR's notice says that Luisa Santiago was appointed in December 2021. Judge Santiago earned a Bachelor of Science in 1991 from Cornell University, a Juris Doctorate in 2001 from American University Washington College of Law, a Master of Laws in 2005 from the Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School, and a Master of Business Administration in 2021 from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Kenan-Flagler Business School. In December 2020, she retired from the U.S. Army after serving 30 years of active and reserve military service. From 2011 to 2020, she served as a U.S. Army Judge Advocate Supervisor and Senior Legal Advisor with a specialization in Administrative/Civil and Criminal Law, in the following locations: Bagram, Afghanistan; Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; U.S. Embassy Baghdad, Iraq; and Fort Bragg, North Carolina. From 2008 to 2011, she served as an Assistant Chief Counsel, Office of Chief Counsel, Office of the Principal Legal Advisor, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security, in Miami. From 1991 to 2007, she served in the U.S. Army in a variety of leadership and supervisory positions, which included Criminal Prosecutor and Senior Operational Legal Advisor, in the following locations: Heidelberg, Germany; Arlington, Virginia; Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; Fort Meade, Maryland; and Afghanistan.
What does TRAC report about Judge Luisa Santiago's asylum decisions?
TRAC, a research center that began at Syracuse University, reports that for FY 2021 - 2026 (data covers the first 9 months of fiscal year 2026), Judge Luisa Santiago decided 224 asylum cases at Sterling Immigration Court and denied 78.1 percent, based on its report of Aug 27, 2026. These are past figures for one court. They do not predict your case, which turns on your facts, evidence, nationality and representation, and TRAC cautions against simple comparisons between judges at different courts. Read the full report at TRAC, and talk to a lawyer about your own case.
What the official record establishes
The source lists the name Luisa Santiago in 1 alphabetical row. The recorded title is Immigration Judge. The record is not an appointment history or an employment certification.
Dated court associations
EOIR’s court-specific tables associate this entry with Richmond Immigration Adjudication Center. The relationship is recorded as listed 2026-10-20; it may include supervisory coverage rather than a merits-hearing assignment.