Some Immigrants Seeking Asylum Want To Make North Texas Home
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - As separated parents and children are reunited and released from detention centers, some will end up in DFW.
One mother is already on her way.
She's been warned by her attorneys at Raices...she's facing an uphill battle.
Dallas has a little bit more conservative judge panel," said Raices immigration attorney Giancarlo Franco.
He shared Raices' records on asylum cases in Dallas.
In the last four years, nearly 2,000 asylum cases have been heard here.
Of those, only 325 have been approved, meaning there's a 83 percent denial rate in Dallas.
One immigration judge heard 229 cases since 2014.
He only granted asylum six times.
"Asylum is discretionary, which means that they can weigh it and even if you meet all the elements, the judge can still say 'no,'" he said.
Raices advises its clients other federal courts are more likely to grant asylum, but asylum seekers often end up going to court in the city they intended to settle in and where they may have family and a support system.
"It looks like the more liberal courts are New York and San Francisco," said Franco. "Our court here in Dallas isn't as conservative at the one in North Carolina but it's definitely been a battle here."