What is Judge Pedro Espinal's background?
EOIR's notice says that Pedro Espinal was appointed in October 2019. Judge Espinal earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2001 from the University of Puerto Rico and a Juris Doctor in 2004 from University of Puerto Rico School of Law. From 2016 to 2019, he served as a deputy chief counsel, Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in San Juan, Puerto Rico. From 2011 to 2016, he served as an assistant chief counsel, OPLA, ICE, DHS, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. From 2009 to 2011, he served as an adjudications services officer, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), DHS, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. From 2007 to 2009, he served as an adjudications services officer, USCIS, DHS, in New York.
What does TRAC report about Judge Pedro Espinal'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 Pedro Espinal decided 206 asylum cases at Orlando Immigration Court and denied 92.2 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 Pedro Espinal 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 Orlando Immigration Court; Guaynabo Immigration Court. The relationship is recorded as listed 2026-10-20; it may include supervisory coverage rather than a merits-hearing assignment.