Carl B. Stokes Federal Courthouse · 801 W. Superior Avenue
Cleveland Immigration Court is the Executive Office for Immigration Review court location listed for Ohio. If you live anywhere in the state and have been placed in removal proceedings, this is where your hearing is scheduled.
This guide covers where the court is and how to get in, what happens at a master calendar hearing and at an individual hearing, who the judges are, how bond works, what relief may be available, and what happens if you lose. Herman Legal Group’s Cleveland office is a short walk from the courthouse.
Initial consultation: 0, up to one hour, by phone or video. Document review: 0, up to one hour.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Your hearing notice controls the date, time, location and format of your hearing. Requesting a consultation does not extend a deadline or excuse an appearance.
Verified against the EOIR Cleveland Immigration Court page, which EOIR last updated July 6, 2026. Confirm current details before traveling.
| Address | 801 W. Superior Avenue, Suite 13-100, Cleveland, OH 44113 |
| Building | Carl B. Stokes Federal Courthouse, 13th floor |
| Phone | 216-802-1100 |
| Cleveland.Immigration.Court@usdoj.gov | |
| Public hours | 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday, except federal holidays |
| Window filing hours | 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. |
| Case status | EOIR case information or 800-898-7180, with your A-number |
| Closures | EOIR operational status |
| Asylum EAD clock | Asylum.Clock.Cleveland@usdoj.gov |
The court does not accept faxes or electronic submissions unless court staff or the immigration judge specifically requested the transmission. Unauthorized transmissions are discarded without notice to the sender.
The court occupies Suite 13-100 on the 13th floor of the Carl B. Stokes Federal Courthouse, 801 West Superior Avenue. Check in at the EOIR window after you clear security.
The nearest RTA station is Tower City, about a five-minute walk. Paid parking is available at the Willard Garage and other downtown garages. Open in Google Maps.
Every visitor passes through a metal detector and a handbag screening each time they enter. Shoes may have to come off. Bring valid photo ID.
Food and drinks are not allowed except as the immigration judge specifically permits. Cameras and recording devices are prohibited in courtrooms and other EOIR spaces. Attorneys of record and DHS attorneys may use electronic devices for limited court and business purposes such as scheduling.
Arrive 45 to 60 minutes early. Screening queues are unpredictable and finding the right courtroom takes time.
Hearings are open to the public, with limited exceptions set by law, and you do not need to notify the court before observing. EOIR asks observers to coordinate with its Office of Policy, and publishes an Observing Immigration Court Hearings fact sheet.
| Bring | Leave at home | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Government photo ID and your Notice to Appear | Food and drinks | Arrive 45–60 minutes early |
| Your hearing notice, with the courtroom and time | Cameras and recording devices | Check in at the EOIR window immediately |
| Copies of all evidence — for the judge and for the ICE attorney | Weapons and sharp objects | Expect a wait at screening |
| Your attorney’s contact information | Vapes and aerosol sprays | Phones off inside the courtroom |
| Your A-number, written down | Large bags where avoidable | Dress as you would for any court |
If you need an interpreter, request one as early as possible rather than on the day. EOIR provides interpreters for immigration court hearings; tell the court which language and dialect you need.
EOIR publishes self-help materials and the Immigration Court Online Resource, which explain in plain language what happens at a hearing. Pro bono legal service providers are also listed on the EOIR site.
Removal proceedings are not a single event. Most cases involve at least one master calendar hearing and, if relief is sought, an individual hearing later.
Short and procedural, often with many respondents scheduled in the same session. The judge confirms your identity and address, takes pleadings to the allegations and charges in the Notice to Appear, confirms whether you have counsel, identifies what relief you intend to seek, and sets deadlines and future dates.
It is brief, but what is conceded or denied here shapes everything that follows. Going in without counsel means making those decisions on the spot.
This is the trial. You testify, witnesses may testify, evidence is presented, and the ICE attorney cross-examines. The judge may rule from the bench the same day or reserve the decision and issue it in writing later.
Filing deadlines before a merits hearing are firm. Evidence submitted late generally requires a motion to accept the late filing, and the judge may refuse it.
Hearings may be held in person or by video. Your hearing notice states the format, and it can change, so check EOIR case information or call 800-898-7180 with your A-number before you travel. Procedures for practice before the court are set out in the EOIR Policy Manual.
Documents in another language must be translated into English and accompanied by a certificate of translation. This trips up more cases than it should.
The court sits with 14 immigration judges and one temporary immigration judge. Which judge hears your case matters, and the published data shows why.
Roster as of September 2026, from the EOIR Cleveland Immigration Court page, last updated by EOIR on July 6, 2026. Rosters change — check EOIR before relying on this.
| Assistant Chief Immigration Judge | Jonathan Owens (backup: Robert P. Driscoll) |
| Court Administrator | Donte Anderson (Acting) |
| Immigration Judges | Patrick Burke · Richard Drucker · Monte J. Horton · Anthony J. Hurst · Bruce D. Imbacuan · Donald Pashayan · Bill Radin · Jennifer M. Riedthaler-Williams · James M. Rice · Teresa Riley · Jeremy J. Santoro · Norman J. Schroth · Michael A. Tripi · David C. Whipple |
| Temporary Immigration Judge | Brandon Alexander “Alex” Kennedy |
These figures come from TRAC at Syracuse University, which compiles judge-level asylum merits decisions from EOIR data.
| Judge | Asylum grant % (other relief %) | Denial % |
|---|---|---|
| David C. Whipple | 43.1% (5.4%) | 56.9% |
| Michael A. Tripi | 34.8% (0.8%) | 65.1% |
| Jeremy J. Santoro | 30.8% (6.4%) | 69.2% |
| Richard Drucker | 23.8% (0.0%) | 76.2% |
| Donald Pashayan | 21.4% (4.6%) | 73.9% |
| Bruce D. Imbacuan | 20.5% (9.3–16.5%) | 70.2–80.9% |
| Monte J. Horton | 20.2% (2.4%) | 79.8% |
| Teresa Riley | 20.1% (3.5%) | 79.9% |
| Jennifer M. Riedthaler-Williams | 16.6–20.8% (4.2%) | 79.2–83.4% |
| Jonathan Owens (now ACIJ) | 15.3% (4.0%) | 80.7% |
| Patrick Burke | Insufficient published decisions | — |
| Hurst, Radin, Rice, Schroth | No published Cleveland record for this period; more recently assigned to the court | |
TRAC data is historical and lags the current roster. Figures describe past decisions in asylum merits cases only; they do not describe bond, cancellation or other relief, and they do not predict any individual outcome. Check TRAC directly for current figures.
Cleveland grant rates cluster between roughly 15% and 43%. The national asylum grant rate has run near the middle of that band in recent years, and some courts elsewhere post far higher rates. Variation of this size is a documented feature of the system, not a reflection of case merit.
Practically, it means three things. Corroborate early — country-conditions evidence, expert declarations, psychological evaluations and third-party affidavits carry weight that testimony alone may not. Get the technical filing right, because incomplete or unsigned applications can be pretermitted without a merits hearing. Preserve your issues — nexus, particular social group, credibility and the CAT standard — in the record below, because the Board reviews what was raised there.
A motion to change venue is sometimes raised in this context. It is available only where it reflects your actual residence, not as a way to shop for a judge.
If someone is detained, two separate questions run in parallel: whether they can be released while the case proceeds, and whether they can ultimately stay.
A detained person may request a bond hearing before an immigration judge unless barred by statute. The judge weighs flight risk and danger to the community. Criminal bond and immigration bond are different things: posting one does not resolve the other.
Bond jurisdiction has become contested. Following the Board’s decision in Matter of Yajure Hurtado, some judges have concluded they lack authority to set bond for people who entered without inspection, and federal courts have divided on it. See our 2026 guide to bond for ICE detainees in Ohio and our note on why Cleveland judges have continued denying bond after Maldonado Bautista.
Start with the ICE detainee locator, searching by A-number and country of birth rather than by name, then confirm with the facility directly. Transfers happen with little notice, including out of state.
Ohio ICE detainees are commonly held at the Geauga County Safety Center in Chardon, the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center in Youngstown, the Seneca County Jail in Tiffin, the Butler County Jail in Hamilton, the Mahoning County Justice Center, or the Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio in Stryker. See our guide to ICE detention in Youngstown.
Which forms of relief are on the table depends on immigration history, time in the United States, family relationships, criminal record and the manner of entry. Many people qualify for more than one, and applications are often layered so that a backup remains if the primary claim fails.
Protection for people who fear persecution or torture. Asylum generally requires filing within one year of arrival, subject to exceptions for changed or extraordinary circumstances. Withholding and Convention Against Torture protection have different standards and different consequences.
Separate tests for lawful permanent residents and for non-residents. The non-LPR route requires long physical presence, good moral character and exceptional and extremely unusual hardship to a qualifying U.S. citizen or resident relative. More on cancellation.
Permanent residence sought inside the removal case, usually through an approved or pending family or employment petition. Eligibility turns heavily on the manner of entry and on any prior immigration violations.
Protection for survivors of abuse and of qualifying crimes, including VAWA cancellation. These can proceed without the abuser’s knowledge or participation, which changes both the evidence and the strategy.
Departure without a removal order, which preserves some future options. It carries strict deadlines and serious consequences if the departure does not actually happen on time.
Sometimes the right outcome is that the case should not be in court at all. But be careful: ICE-requested dismissal can expose a person to expedited removal without review by a judge. Take advice before agreeing.
Four developments have materially altered how removal cases proceed. Each is contested, and the law in this area is moving quickly.
Judges have increasingly dismissed asylum applications for defects on the face of the filing — a missing signature, an incomplete page — without reaching a merits hearing. The practical response is procedural care: complete forms, certified translations, correct pagination, nothing left blank.
ICE attorneys move to dismiss proceedings, after which the person may be re-arrested and processed for expedited removal under INA § 235(b), outside the immigration judge’s review. A dismissal that sounds like good news can remove the protection of a hearing.
Some judges now decline to set bond for people who entered without inspection, departing from long-standing practice. Federal courts are split, and the issue is live in Ohio. See our bond guides above.
DHS has pursued removals to countries other than the country of origin, including countries a person never entered. These raise questions under U.S. asylum law and international obligations, and are the subject of ongoing litigation.
For the structural background, see our analysis of why America’s immigration courts are not independent and of Loper Bright and immigration law, which changed how courts review agency interpretations.
An adverse decision is not necessarily the end, but the deadlines are short and unforgiving.
30 days from the immigration judge’s decision. File Form EOIR-26, with the fee or a fee-waiver request on Form EOIR-26A. The Board reviews the existing record on the papers; there is no live hearing and no new evidence unless the case is remanded.
This is why issues must be preserved below. The Board generally considers what was raised before the immigration judge.
If the Board dismisses the appeal, a petition for review may be available in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, which reviews Cleveland cases. Separately, a motion to reopen or reconsider may be possible — but see Matter of M-M-L-J-, in which the Board held that equitable tolling cannot overcome the one-motion limit.
Where detention itself is the issue, a habeas corpus petition in federal district court asks a different question from the removal case, under a different standard.
HLG’s immigration litigation division is led by Vania Stefanova, whose work includes removal defense and appeals before the Board of Immigration Appeals. Founder Richard T. Herman is admitted in Ohio, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio and in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit — the courts where habeas petitions and petitions for review from Cleveland cases are filed.
Missed your hearing? A removal order in absentia is generally entered. A motion to reopen may be available within 180 days on a showing of exceptional circumstances, and in some situations on a showing that notice was defective. Act immediately; do not wait for advice to come to you.
These recognitions relate to Richard T. Herman individually. Selection years and rating criteria vary; professional recognition does not guarantee results. Learn more about Richard’s credentials.
Richard founded Herman Legal Group in Cleveland in 1995 and has practiced immigration law for more than 30 years. He is co-author of Immigrant, Inc. (John Wiley & Sons, 2009), a Super Lawyers selection every year from 2004 through 2025, and holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell. He is admitted in Ohio, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio and in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit — the courts that review Cleveland immigration cases.
HLG’s attorneys work virtually and across the firm’s offices. The attorney assigned depends on the matter’s needs and the agreed scope of representation. Confirm which attorney will attend your consultation and whether it will be by phone, by video or in person.
Founder · Immigration Attorney
More than 30 years of practice, including federal habeas and Sixth Circuit matters.
Head, Immigration Litigation Division
Removal defense and appeals before the Board of Immigration Appeals.
Attorney · Worthington Office Lead
Family immigration and removal defense, in English and Spanish.
Immigration Attorney
Serving immigrants and their families, with Ohio roots and a Cleveland State education.
The firm works in more than a dozen languages.
Separate Herman Legal Group matters. They show how procedural posture shapes what is available — not what any other case will do. Removal and litigation matters are handled by the firm’s immigration attorneys; the attorney assigned depends on the matter and the agreed scope of representation.
The situation: A lawful permanent resident with no criminal record was placed in removal proceedings over voting without authorization, having believed she was eligible to vote. She was detained, and the immigration court denied bond.
What HLG did: Filed a habeas corpus petition in federal district court.
Outcome: The federal judge ordered her release.
Why the details matter: detention and removability are separate questions, decided under different standards and often by different courts. A bond denial in immigration court is not the end of the inquiry — habeas asks an Article III judge whether the detention itself is lawful. Voting cases also turn on narrow statutory ground, including a limited exception for people who reasonably believed they were U.S. citizens. A release order addresses custody; it does not resolve the removal case.
The situation: A client entered on a visitor visa and applied for asylum. While that application was pending, the client entered a same-sex marriage and filed for a marriage-based green card.
Outcome: The green card was approved in Cleveland in under six months.
Why the details matter: the manner of entry and the status of earlier filings shape what is available later. A lawful, inspected entry is treated differently from an entry without inspection, and a pending asylum application does not by itself foreclose a marriage-based path. Processing times vary by office, by case and by year, so this timeline is not a prediction.
Case summaries supplied and confirmed by Richard T. Herman. Identifying details are omitted. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome; every case depends on its own facts and the law that applies to it.
801 W. Superior Avenue, Suite 13-100, Cleveland, OH 44113, on the 13th floor of the Carl B. Stokes Federal Courthouse. Public hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday except federal holidays, and window filing hours end at 4 p.m. The court phone number is 216-802-1100.
Cleveland is the EOIR court location listed for Ohio, so residents across the state are generally scheduled there. Venue and hearing format can change, and detention or transfer can move a case to another court. Your hearing notice controls.
You can file a Motion to Continue with a valid reason, such as illness or a newly retained attorney. Continuances are granted sparingly, and filing a motion does not excuse your appearance unless and until the judge rules.
A removal order in absentia is generally entered. A motion to reopen may be available within 180 days on a showing of exceptional circumstances, such as serious illness or attorney abandonment, and in some situations on a showing that notice was defective. Deadlines here are strict, so act immediately.
Possibly. The one-year filing deadline has exceptions for changed circumstances, such as new country conditions, and for extraordinary circumstances, such as serious illness or trauma. Whether an exception applies depends on the specific facts and the supporting evidence.
Take advice before agreeing. Dismissal removes the case from immigration court, which can leave a person exposed to expedited removal without review by an immigration judge. Whether dismissal helps or harms depends entirely on the individual case.
Yes, but marriage does not by itself resolve the court case. An I-130 petition must be filed and the marriage shown to be bona fide before adjustment of status can be sought, and marriages entered during proceedings receive heightened scrutiny.
Phones are generally permitted in the building but must be off in courtrooms. Cameras and recording devices are prohibited in courtrooms and other EOIR spaces. Attorneys of record and DHS attorneys may use electronic devices for limited court and business purposes such as scheduling.
No. EOIR prohibits cameras and recording devices in courtrooms and other EOIR spaces. Hearings are open to the public with limited exceptions, but observers may not record them.
Filings made at the hearing generally require a motion to accept a late filing, and you should bring copies for the immigration judge and for the ICE attorney. The court does not accept faxes or other electronic submissions unless court staff or the judge specifically requested the transmission.
Check EOIR case information with your A-number, or call 800-898-7180. Internet-based hearings by video are common. Check EOIR’s operational status page before traveling.
Generally not without prior authorization such as advance parole. Departing while a case is pending will usually abandon applications and can trigger bars to return.
There is no government-appointed counsel in immigration court. Pro bono legal service providers are listed on the EOIR website, and Cleveland-area organizations including the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland and Catholic Charities Migration & Refugee Services provide free or low-cost help to those who qualify.
Yes, substantially. TRAC publishes judge-level asylum outcomes, and rates differ both among judges within the Cleveland court and between Cleveland and other courts. TRAC data is historical and does not predict any individual case.
You are entitled to be represented at your own expense, and you may proceed without counsel. Research on immigration court outcomes has consistently found that represented respondents obtain relief at substantially higher rates, though the gap varies by case type, court and period. Attorneys and accredited representatives must register with EOIR to appear.
These organizations are independent of Herman Legal Group. Contact them directly about eligibility, capacity and fees.
Cleveland Immigration Court hears cases from across Ohio. Our city pages explain what that means locally:
Cleveland · Columbus · Akron and Canton · Toledo · Youngstown · Cincinnati · Dayton and Springfield · All Ohio
Bring your Notice to Appear, every government notice you have received, your passport and prior filings, and a timeline of entries and departures. An attorney can tell you what the government alleges, which deadlines apply, what relief may realistically be available and what it will cost.
Herman Legal Group was founded in Cleveland in 1995 and has two Ohio offices. The Cleveland office is a short walk from the courthouse. The firm represents clients elsewhere in Ohio and nationwide by video and phone.
Initial consultation: $200, up to one hour, by phone or video. Document review: $500, up to one hour. Document preparation and ongoing representation are separate services. HLG does not offer free consultations.
Court details verified against the EOIR Cleveland Immigration Court page, last updated by EOIR on July 6, 2026. Reviewed by Richard T. Herman, Esq. · Founder, Herman Legal Group · Last reviewed September 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship.
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408 West Saint Clair Avenue, Suite 230 Cleveland, OH 44113
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