What is Judge Melissa Joy Garcia's background?
EOIR's notice says that Melissa Joy Garcia was appointed in March 2019. Judge Garcia earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1995 from the University of Texas at San Antonio and a Juris Doctor in 2001 from St. Mary’s School of Law. In 2008, she was an assistant city attorney for the City of Laredo, Texas. From 2008 to 2018, she served for Webb County, Laredo, Texas in various roles as an assistant public defender, a justice of the peace for Precinct Two, Place Two, and an associate district judge.
What the official record establishes
The source lists the name Melissa Joy Garcia in 2 alphabetical rows. The recorded title is Assistant Chief 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 Otero Immigration Court; El Paso Immigration Court; El Paso SPC Immigration Court; Harlingen Immigration Court; Laredo Immigration Court; Port Isabel Immigration Court. The relationship is recorded as listed 2026-10-20; it may include supervisory coverage rather than a merits-hearing assignment.
No outcome or personal-profile claims
This entry does not provide an asylum approval rate, predict a decision, or claim personal background not established by the cited source. Confirm the assigned judge and attendance details from your notice and the court. A change of judge does not by itself change deadlines or excuse attendance.