# Benjamin Kuipers Immigration Judge · [Phoenix Immigration Court](/kyj/court/az/phoenix-immigration-court) ## Benjamin Kuipers at a glance Current role Immigration Judge Court [Phoenix Immigration Court](/kyj/court/az/phoenix-immigration-court) Jurisdiction Arizona · Federal Judicial service Active Historical EOIR data ## Outcomes at a glance Total outcomes 297 Relief granted 6 2.0% Denied / removal ordered 167 56.2% Other / procedural 124 41.8% National comparison for this selection: 9,249,024 outcomes; 10.0% relief granted; 52.0% denied / removal ordered; 38.0% other / procedural. Methodology and sources These are proceeding outcomes, not asylum application statistics. Completion years use EOIR COMP_DATE; 2026 contains partial-year data. Relief granted, denied / removal ordered and other / procedural exhaust the recorded outcomes. Groups of one are included. Historical outcomes do not establish a current assignment. Counts describe recorded cases and do not predict an individual's result. [Official EOIR case data](https://fileshare.eoir.justice.gov/EOIR%20Case%20Data.zip) · Source date: Tue, 01 Sep 2026 14:14:27 GMT ## Biography ### Professional career - Permanent Immigration Judge at Otero Immigration Court beginning July 2026 - Previously served as a Temporary Immigration Judge at Phoenix Immigration Court from February to July 2026 - 2024-Jan 2026: Deputy County Attorney, Yavapai County, Prescott - deputy county attorney with the Yavapai County Attorney’s Office in Prescott, Arizona (2024–January 2026) - task force judge advocate for the U.S. Army in Jordan, Iraq, and Syria, advising on operational law (2023–2024) - He held the role of a task force judge advocate for the U.S. Army in Jordan, Iraq, and Syria (2023–2024), as senior trial defense counsel for the Arizona Army National Guard (2021–2023), and holds the rank of major in the Arizona Army National Guard - From 2011 to 2023, he was the founder and managing partner of Kuipers Law PLLC - From 2019 to 2021, he was the legal officer in charge for Operation Guardian Support, a joint task force with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security - 2009-2011: Insurance-defense practice - He previously founded and managed Kuipers Law PLLC and held the role of a legal officer for Operation Guardian Support, a joint task force with U.S. Customs and Border Protection ### Education - Arizona State University Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law — J.D. (2009) - Hillsdale College — B.A. (2005) ### Additional information - Benjamin S. Kuipers was appointed as an immigration judge in July 2026 after serving as a temporary immigration judge at the Phoenix Immigration Court from February to July 2026. - 2019-2021: Legal officer, Operation Guardian Support joint CBP mission - From 2009 to 2011, he worked at an insurance defense firm. - He has extensive trial experience, having litigated hundreds of cases in Arizona trial and appellate courts, including over one hundred bench and jury trials, and has maintained a 100% success rate in appellate litigation. - Kuipers has a notable military background. - He also completed training at the U.S. Army School of Infantry at Fort Benning, Georgia. - He is a member of the State Bar of Arizona and has contributed to legal scholarship, including publications associated with the Hoover Institution and the Wall Street Journal. - His professional focus spans litigation, immigration law, and military legal service. ## Sources Identity source checked October 7, 2026 . ### DOJ EOIR current immigration judge directory Identity source · HTML · Source checked October 7, 2026 [Public Records & Data Use](/public-records-data-use) · [Corrections policy](/corrections) ## Courtroom rules [Official EOIR hearing and filing instructions](https://www.justice.gov/eoir/policy-manual-eoir) ## Published courtroom rules ### Shared court rules - [EOIR Practice Manual 2.1 — Delivery and Receipt](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-c9195b4f0bba01a19aa8df41) — Immigration Court proceedings only, not BIA or OCAHO. Preserve chapter-specific proceeding limits. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.justice.gov/eoir/policy-manual-eoir/part-II/icpm/chapter-2-1). Collected 2026-10-27. - [EOIR Practice Manual 3.11 — Courtroom Decorum](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-8d8e8e8bf80478864645291a) — Immigration Court proceedings only, not BIA or OCAHO. Preserve chapter-specific proceeding limits. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.justice.gov/eoir/policy-manual-eoir/part-II/icpm/chapter-3-11). Collected 2026-10-27. - [EOIR Practice Manual 2.3 — Documents](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-53ee093be24c18a5d1a93046) — Immigration Court proceedings only, not BIA or OCAHO. Preserve chapter-specific proceeding limits. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.justice.gov/eoir/policy-manual-eoir/part-II/icpm/chapter-2-3). Collected 2026-10-27.