The Board of Immigration Appeals has determined that immigration judges are not required to accept stipulations by the parties. “Immigration Judges have broad discretion in conducting immigration proceedings and admitting and considering evidence. While an Immigration Judge may accept the parties’ stipulations in lieu of evidence, he or she is not required to do so. Nor is an Immigration Judge bound by parties’ stipulations as to the legal issue of whether a respondent has satisfied his or her burden of proof for relief or protection because legal stipulations cannot be binding.”
The full text of Matter of J-H-M-H can be found here: