Cleveland Immigration Court · EOIR hearing guide
Cleveland Immigration Court is at 801 W. Superior Avenue, Suite 13-100, Cleveland, OH 44113. The court phone is 216-802-1100. Start with your latest hearing notice or court order, then use EOIR’s case-information tools to check your next hearing.
Your notice controls the date, time, location and attendance instructions. Do not assume an Ohio address means you must travel to Cleveland, or that a posted Webex link permits remote attendance. This is HLG’s independent guide; the court is part of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Call HLG at 216-696-6170 for legal assistance. A consultation does not extend a court deadline or excuse an appearance.
Verified against the EOIR Cleveland Immigration Court page, checked October 14, 2026; EOIR’s page displayed an October 8, 2026 update. 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 |
A general court email is not a filing method. The court warns against unsolicited fax or electronic transmissions. Authorized ECAS filing is separate; use the applicable filing instructions and preserve proof of receipt. See EOIR’s delivery and receipt rules.
EOIR says the automated system does not display every case or every detail and does not provide bond-hearing information. It will not show a new hearing date until the court sets one. Use the official case-status guidance and system limitations.
A published judge link alone does not authorize video attendance. EOIR’s internet-based hearing directory states that respondents without a representative of record default to in-person attendance. Confirm your actual instructions with the court if uncertain. Check court operational status before traveling; closures and case status are separate checks.
This is not USCIS Case Status. A USCIS receipt number tracks a benefits application; an EOIR A-number lookup concerns immigration-court or BIA proceedings. An ICE check-in is also a separate appointment.
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.
First identify the hearing type and the judge’s deadlines. A master calendar hearing addresses pleadings, scheduling and case management; an individual hearing examines contested issues and evidence. Preparation should match the hearing you actually have.
| Before a master calendar hearing | Before an individual hearing | For either hearing |
|---|---|---|
| Review the Notice to Appear, identity and address information, allegations, charges and potential relief with counsel. | Review the filed application, declarations, exhibits, witness list and the evidence supporting each disputed issue. | Confirm the date, time, location and attendance format from the latest court instructions. |
| Identify prior immigration proceedings, orders and pending USCIS matters that may affect pleadings or scheduling. | Confirm filing and service deadlines, translations, witness arrangements and required background-check steps. | Organize identification, notices, copies of filed records, attorney contacts and proof of submissions. |
| Write down any unresolved question and any deadline the judge sets. | Prepare truthful testimony and review inconsistencies; do not memorize invented answers. | Confirm interpreter needs early. Allow time for security if attending in person; test equipment if authorized to appear remotely. |
Bringing an evidence folder on hearing day is different from timely filing and serving it. Court deadlines control. Foreign-language documents require certified English translations. Official guidance: master calendar hearings, individual hearings, and document requirements.
For a review before filing, see HLG’s immigration document review service. If a hearing is approaching, disclose its date when requesting help; a review is not an entry of appearance.
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.
Confirm the attendance format from your latest notice and court instructions. If the directions are unclear, contact the court or your representative; a public video link alone does not excuse an in-person appearance. 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.
HLG can review the Notice to Appear, identify potential relief and procedural issues, prepare filings and evidence, and discuss representation at hearings. The appropriate scope depends on your case stage, deadlines and the existing record.
Bring the actual records: your NTA, latest hearing notice, court orders, filed applications, past decisions, relevant criminal records and a short chronology. Tell us whether you are detained, already represented, or facing an imminent deadline.
A consultation, document review and full court representation are different services. Confirm the engagement scope and who will handle the hearing. EOIR has specific representation rules; booking a consultation does not make an attorney your representative of record.
Call 216-696-6170. If private representation is not affordable, consult EOIR’s pro bono provider list; eligibility and availability vary.
Check the judge assigned to your case in your current notice and EOIR records. For current staffing, use the official Cleveland court directory. A staffing roster is different from a case assignment.
The outcome figures below are historical, for FY2019–FY2024. They are not a current judge roster or a prediction of your result.
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.
Ask counsel to review any detention issue, proposed dismissal, application deadline, prior order or change in the requested relief. Bond authority and the effect of a dismissal require individual analysis under current law; do not treat a general guide as a ruling on your case.
Bring any new DHS motion or court order promptly. If detention is involved, see HLG’s removal-defense services and the bond resources below.
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.
The Board generally reviews the existing record. Preserve issues and review the actual decision promptly. EOIR’s appeal-deadline rules explain filing and receipt requirements.
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.
The court is at 801 W. Superior Avenue, Suite 13-100, Cleveland, OH 44113. Its phone number is 216-802-1100. Confirm your own hearing location and attendance instructions from the latest notice or court order.
Use EOIR Automated Case Information with your A-number and requested nationality, or call 800-898-7180. Court-issued documents are the official source. Contact the court or your attorney if the result is missing or conflicts with your notice.
No. Cleveland handles cases associated with Ohio, but venue, detention location and hearing arrangements can differ or change. Follow the location and instructions for your own case.
Only when your court instructions authorize remote attendance. A published judge link is not permission by itself. EOIR’s hearing directory says respondents without a representative of record default to in-person attendance.
Bring the Notice to Appear, current hearing notice, court orders, filed applications and evidence, prior decisions, relevant criminal records and a short chronology. Identify every upcoming hearing and filing deadline.
No. A pending request does not itself change your hearing obligations. Follow the existing instructions unless the court grants the request or issues different directions.
HLG can discuss removal-defense representation, preparation and document review. These services have different scopes. A consultation does not enter an appearance or extend a government deadline.
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.
Address, hours, case-status and hearing-access guidance checked October 14, 2026 against current EOIR sources. The Cleveland court page displayed an October 8, 2026 update. 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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