# 23 New Immigration Judges for Dallas and the Fort Worth Adjudication Center

> From October 2025 to September 2026, EOIR assigned 17 new judges to the Dallas Immigration Court and 6 to Fort Worth. Who they are and what it means.

- Source: https://carlosmaury.law/news/new-immigration-judges-dallas-fort-worth-courts
- Author: Carlos Maury Law
- Published: 2026-09-24
- Updated: 2026-09-28
- Topics: new immigration judges Dallas, Dallas Immigration Court judges 2026, Fort Worth Immigration Adjudication Center judges, EOIR new immigration judges Texas, temporary immigration judge Dallas

On **September 24, 2026**, the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) announced its latest group of new immigration judges, including one more for the **Dallas Immigration Court** and two more for the **Fort Worth Immigration Adjudication Center**. Counting every EOIR announcement from October 2025 to September 2026, EOIR has named **17 new judges for Dallas** (14 immigration judges and 3 temporary immigration judges) and **6 for Fort Worth**.

This is general information, not legal advice. The source is EOIR's own biographies of the new judges, most recently **[EOIR Announces 47 Immigration Judges and 6 Temporary Immigration Judges](https://www.justice.gov/eoir/media/1462441/dl?inline)** (September 24, 2026); the earlier announcements are listed at the end of this article.

## New judges at the Dallas Immigration Court

The [Dallas Immigration Court](/dallas-immigration-court) sits at 1100 Commerce St., Room 1060, in downtown Dallas. EOIR's Administrative Control list assigns it the Dallas DHS District Office docket and detained children at two Dallas shelters. The list shows each judge EOIR assigned there, the month EOIR says the judge began hearing cases, and the most recent prior job listed in the EOIR biography.

- **Attila Bogdan** — Title: Immigration judge; Began hearing cases: October 2025; Prior role (EOIR bio): Assistant U.S. attorney, Tulsa.
- **Kyle V. Mitchell** — Title: Temporary immigration judge; Began hearing cases: October 2025; Prior role (EOIR bio): Administrative law judge, State of Texas.
- **Kevin Gross** — Title: Immigration judge; Began hearing cases: March 2026; Prior role (EOIR bio): Assistant U.S. attorney, Eastern District of Oklahoma.
- **Jason Hermus** — Title: Immigration judge; Began hearing cases: March 2026; Prior role (EOIR bio): Assistant district attorney, Dallas County.
- **Paul N. Jones** — Title: Immigration judge; Began hearing cases: March 2026; Prior role (EOIR bio): Assistant chief counsel, ICE, Dallas and Laredo.
- **Robert L. Martin** — Title: Immigration judge; Began hearing cases: March 2026; Prior role (EOIR bio): Presiding judge, Odessa Municipal Court.
- **John A. Poore** — Title: Immigration judge; Began hearing cases: March 2026; Prior role (EOIR bio): Senior deputy district attorney, Ventura County, Calif.
- **David G. Beyleryan** — Title: Temporary immigration judge; Began hearing cases: April 2026; Prior role (EOIR bio): Supervising attorney, Lone Star Legal Aid, Houston.
- **Deborah D. Dictson** — Title: Immigration judge; Began hearing cases: May 2026; Prior role (EOIR bio): Special prosecutor, west Texas.
- **Richard J. Douglas** — Title: Immigration judge; Began hearing cases: May 2026; Prior role (EOIR bio): Assistant chief counsel, ICE, Houston.
- **Lisa M. Strader** — Title: Temporary immigration judge; Began hearing cases: May 2026; Prior role (EOIR bio): Attorney, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
- **Martin R. Celis** — Title: Immigration judge; Began hearing cases: June 2026; Prior role (EOIR bio): Assistant chief counsel, ICE, El Paso.
- **Darian R. Etienne** — Title: Immigration judge; Began hearing cases: June 2026; Prior role (EOIR bio): Assistant district attorney, Waller County, Texas.
- **Barbara L. Whelan** — Title: Immigration judge; Began hearing cases: June 2026; Prior role (EOIR bio): State district court judge, North Dakota.
- **Dixon M. Merkt** — Title: Immigration judge; Began hearing cases: August 2026; Prior role (EOIR bio): Army Reserve judge advocate, Fort Hood.
- **Daniel K. Sherwood** — Title: Immigration judge; Began hearing cases: August 2026; Prior role (EOIR bio): Counsel, ICE, Dallas.
- **Melissa Handke** — Title: Immigration judge; Began hearing cases: September 2026; Prior role (EOIR bio): District attorney, 20th Judicial District of Oklahoma.

EOIR lists temporary immigration judges separately from immigration judges in its announcements. Assignments can change after an announcement, so the court's current roster is the one on [EOIR's Dallas page](https://www.justice.gov/eoir/dallas-immigration-court).

## New judges at the Fort Worth Immigration Adjudication Center

EOIR's biographies place these judges at the **Fort Worth Immigration Adjudication Center**, 819 Taylor Street, Suite 600, in downtown Fort Worth. As our [Fort Worth court page](/fort-worth-immigration-court) explains, an adjudication center is not a walk-in court with a local public docket: judges there hear cases **by video** for other immigration courts.

- **Robert J. Boudreau** — Title: Temporary immigration judge; Began hearing cases: October 2025; Prior role (EOIR bio): Staff attorney, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Fort Worth.
- **C. Brent Dishman** — Title: Temporary immigration judge; Began hearing cases: October 2025; Prior role (EOIR bio): District judge, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma.
- **David J. Green** — Title: Temporary immigration judge, then immigration judge; Began hearing cases: October 2025; immigration judge from May 2026; Prior role (EOIR bio): U.S. Army officer; U.S. Embassy Jerusalem.
- **Omar J. Famada** — Title: Immigration judge; Began hearing cases: May 2026; Prior role (EOIR bio): Assistant chief counsel, ICE, Dallas.
- **Debbie López-Carr** — Title: Immigration judge; Began hearing cases: September 2026; Prior role (EOIR bio): Assistant chief counsel, ICE, Houston; then DHS counsel, Dallas.
- **Reynaldo Padilla Morin** — Title: Immigration judge; Began hearing cases: September 2026; Prior role (EOIR bio): Assistant U.S. attorney, Eastern District of Texas.

## What this means if you have a case in Dallas or Fort Worth

A new judge on the bench does not change your case, your deadlines or the law that applies to it. In practice:

- **Your hearing may be reassigned.** When new judges join a court, some cases can move to a different judge or a new date. Check your case on EOIR's online [Automated Case Information portal](https://acis.eoir.justice.gov/en/) (ACIS) before every hearing, not just when a notice arrives.
- **Deadlines do not move on their own.** Filing deadlines set by the judge or by the rules stay in place unless the court changes them in writing.
- **Keep your address current.** If you move, file **Form EOIR-33** with the court within five days (8 CFR 1003.15(d)(2)). Hearing notices go to the address on file, and a missed hearing can lead to an order of removal in your absence.
- **Bring your evidence.** Be ready to present your documents and witnesses at every hearing, whoever the judge is.
- **Video hearings.** If your notice says your hearing will be held by video, a judge at an adjudication center such as Fort Worth may hear it. Follow the instructions in the notice exactly.

For the steps of a case from the Notice to Appear to a final decision, see our guide to [removal proceedings](/immigration/removal-proceedings). Other Texas courts are listed on our [Texas immigration courts](/texas-immigration-courts) page.

## Frequently asked questions

### How many new judges did EOIR assign to Dallas and Fort Worth?

From October 2025 to September 2026, EOIR's announcements name 17 new judges for the Dallas Immigration Court (14 immigration judges and 3 temporary immigration judges) and 6 for the Fort Worth Immigration Adjudication Center.

### Will a new judge take over my case?

Possibly. Cases can be reassigned when new judges join a court. Check EOIR's online case portal (ACIS) and read every notice you receive.

### Can I go to the Fort Worth center for my hearing?

EOIR calls it the Fort Worth Immigration Adjudication Center, and as our court page explains, judges there hear cases by video for other courts. Go where your hearing notice tells you to go.

### Do my deadlines change because of the new judges?

No. Your deadlines stay the same unless the court changes them in writing.

Sources: EOIR judge biographies of [October 24, 2025](https://www.justice.gov/eoir/media/1415981/dl?inline), [March 11, 2026](https://www.justice.gov/eoir/media/1430876/dl?inline), [April 8, 2026](https://www.justice.gov/eoir/media/1435381/dl?inline), [May 21, 2026](https://www.justice.gov/eoir/media/1441406/dl?inline), [June 17, 2026](https://www.justice.gov/eoir/media/1446596/dl?inline), [August 27, 2026](https://www.justice.gov/eoir/media/1459376/dl?inline) and [September 24, 2026](https://www.justice.gov/eoir/media/1462441/dl?inline), and the EOIR [Administrative Control list](https://www.justice.gov/eoir/immigration-court-administrative-control-list).

If you have a case in Dallas or before a judge in Fort Worth, it helps to have someone read your notices and file on time. Carlos Maury, a former U.S. Immigration Judge, leads Carlos Maury Law. To talk about your case, call **(213) 769-0050**. **We speak Spanish.**

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*General legal information from Carlos Maury Law — not legal advice. https://carlosmaury.law/news/new-immigration-judges-dallas-fort-worth-courts*